After the Storm
by Helena's Mangos
Summary: Following a traumatic event, Alex is there for Piper when no one else is. Vauseman. High School AU. Complete.
1. Part I

**A/N: Hello everyone! This is the first fic I've posted in years and my first Vauseman fic ever! I would love to hear what you all think of the story or my writing (good or bad) so please, please, please review!**

 **Warnings:**

 **1\. This story contains mentions of and discussions of rape (not in great detail, but it is central to the plot of this story). If this is triggering to you or will upset you to read about, please do not read this story!**

 **2\. This story also contains and depicts the use of marijuana. Again, if this offends or upsets you, please do not read this story!**

 **Even though this story deals with some heavier topics, it is a romance fic overall. The first chapter is a bit dark, but the second chapter will be much lighter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Orange is the New Black. I'm just borrowing the characters**

After the Storm

:||:

The first time Alex Vause saw Piper Chapman she was 11 years old.

She was sitting on the front steps of the most recent apartment in a long series of apartments her mother had rented for them, the leases usually only lasting 6 months before they'd have to pack up and move on again. This one, her mother had told her, would be different. More permanent. Diane Vause had recently attained a waitressing job at the local Friendly's in addition to her bartending job in the next town over and had been able to save enough to pay the first and last month's rent and the deposit, which allowed her to commit to a 12-month lease.

Alex had her nose in a book. Her back leant against the railings along the staircase with her legs propped up in front of her, making an upside down V shape. She was wearing a tank top and jean shorts to combat the hot summer day. A tall glass of lemonade rested on the step above the one on which she sat. It dripped of condensation. She was sweating lightly, but was used to the heat since air conditioning was not a luxury Alex and her mother could often afford.

She had paused from reading for a second, resting the index finger of her right hand in between the pages of the book to mark her spot, to take a drink from the slippery glass of lemonade when she saw her.

Golden hair blew softly in the wind, rosy cheeks, pink from light exertion, bright blue eyes sparkling with joy, and legs that went on for days. Piper Chapman was the picture of what summertime should be. At 9 years old, Piper was tall and lanky, all long clumsy limbs, two of which were attached to a pair of in-line roller skates. She wore a light pink t-shirt underneath a pair of cut-off overalls. Her purple helmet was snug against her head, and Alex noticed that she was decked out in all kinds of safety gear; elbow pads, knee pads, and gloves. She wondered if the girl was just naturally cautious or had learned to be from too many previous mistakes that had resulted in scraped up body parts.

Alex watched as she clumsily skated down the street, arms swinging at her sides, picking up momentum. The blonde girl turned her head to glance over her shoulder and laughed joyously to the two boys trailing behind her on their own skates.

"Wait up, Piper!" The smaller of the two boys yelled, attempting earnestly to catch up.

 _Piper_. Alex had never met someone named Piper before. She decided she liked it.

The blonde girl, Piper, shouted back with a laugh, "You're too slow! Try to catch me!"

As the three kids raced to the end of Alex's street and turned onto another effectively taking them out of Alex's view, Alex decided she was going to become friends with this Piper girl before summer ended.

:||:

Piper Chapman sat miserably alone in her fourth period class. Well, as alone as you could be in a room filled with other teenagers. She looked over at the other side of the room, where some of her friends sat together whispering and laughing in lieu of working on the assigned worksheet, and sighed.

She was on the outs with them, and it _hurt_. She glanced over at the nerdy boy in the seat next to her and smiled slightly. He was not someone she would normally interact with, but he was nice and smart and she didn't mind pairing with him to finish the assignment.

"Why aren't you sitting with your friends?" The boy, whose name was Larry, asked.

Piper looked up from the worksheet frowning. "I don't know. They're pissed at me, so I sat over here instead." She left out the part where they had flat out told her she couldn't sit with them.

"What did you do that made them so mad?" Larry asked with a slight laugh.

Piper's frown deepened. This was no laughing matter. This was her life. "I did the right thing." She practically mumbled. Then clearer, she added, "Now can we please get back to the work sheet? We only have about 10 minutes left of class."

Larry just shrugged and smiled. He seemed very easy going to Piper, and for that she was grateful. They were able to finish the assignment before the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Piper didn't pause to say goodbye to Larry as she quickly gathered her things and hurried out into the crowded hallway.

At lunch, Piper stood in the middle of the cafeteria surveying the groups of people hunched around different tables. Litchfield High School was like any other public high school, made up of various cliques and sub-cliques that sometimes overlapped and interacted. Overarching, Piper labeled the main cliques as the popular kids, the nerds, the stoners/bad kids, and the in-betweeners. Of course each of these main groups consisted of many subgroups. For example, the band kids were one subgroup of the nerds, while the theater kids were another. However, some of the theater kids also fell into the stoner/bad kids group, which shows how some groups overlapped.

The group Piper belonged to, the popular crowd, occupied a cluster of three tables in one corner of the cafeteria. She began hesitantly walking in that direction, gaining confidence when her best friend Polly met her eyes and smiled at her. She was just about to sit down when she heard the whiny high-pitched voice of Litchfield High's prom queen, head cheerleader, and all around queen bee, Jessica Wedge, from behind her.

"Um, excuse me Piper, but you can't sit with us anymore. I thought I had made myself perfectly clear."

Piper's face immediately turned red as everyone turned their attention to her as the scene unfolded. Piper looked helplessly to Polly, who averted her gaze to the floor in shame.

"Fine." Piper whispered. She grabbed her tray and rushed past Jessica- but suddenly she was face first on the ground, tray and all its contents flying out of her hands and onto the linoleum tile of the cafeteria. Piper held in her tears as the laughter began. She didn't look back as she hauled herself up off the floor and raced away, hardly paying attention to the direction she was going. Her only thought was that she needed to get out of there.

:||:

Alex hurried discretely down the hall to her favorite bathroom. It had taken her a few months to learn the rotations the hall monitors took and this was the only bathroom that was free from monitoring during her assigned lunch period. It also helped that it wasn't near the cafeteria, which meant it stayed pretty empty during her midday smoke break.

She was so eager (She'd had a particularly shitty day, getting into an argument with her English teacher and earning herself a detention), she had the cigarette to her lips and was lighting it before the door even closed behind her. She headed straight for the window, hurrying to prop it open so she could exhale outside. Alex was so focused on what she was doing that she completely missed the fact that there was another person in her bathroom. It was so rare for someone else to be in this bathroom at this time, that Alex hadn't even bothered to check. She ripped the cigarette out of her mouth and hid it quickly behind her back, turning to face the other girl.

She was even more surprised to see that the bathrooms second occupant was Piper Chapman. The surprise and fear Alex felt for getting caught were forgotten the moment it dawned on her that Piper was having some sort of mental breakdown and hadn't noticed her presence. Her former best friend was sobbing quite hysterically while scrubbing furiously at something written in sharpie on the stall door with hand soap and the shitty school paper towels. "It won't come off! It won't come off!" She was mumbling to herself in despair.

Alex tossed her cigarette to the ground and stomped it out. She took a cautious step forward. "Piper?"

Piper startled, not having realized someone else had entered the bathroom. She looked up at Alex with tear filled eyes. "I can't get it off, Alex!"

That's when Alex saw what had upset Piper so. In big black letters, someone had written _Piper Chapman is a fucking whore!_

Alex came closer awkwardly. It had been a few years since the two of them had talked. "Take a few deep breaths, Piper. We'll get it off. I promise." She reassured the younger girl. Piper did as she was told and eventually calmed herself. Alex dried the mess Piper had made on the door and then pulled a sharpie out of her backpack. She quickly covered what had been written, so that all that was left was a long black rectangle. "See. It's gone."

Piper's lips turned up in a minuscule smile. "Thanks."

"Do you know who wrote it?" Alex asked. "We could write something even worse about them."

Piper just shook her head. Now that she had calmed down, Alex could tell she was embarrassed. The situation was awkward and neither of them knew how to handle it. So Alex turned away, back to the window to light up a new cigarette and give Piper a moment of semi-privacy to collect herself.

After a few minutes, Alex heard Piper begin to gather her things. She blew her nose and flushed the used toilet paper, threw her backpack over her shoulder and walked over to the sinks. She ran a paper towel under some cold water and blotted at her face. Finally, she reapplied her eyeliner. As she turned to leave the bathroom, Alex could feel Piper hesitate. Alex remained silent, staring out the window as she finished her cigarette.

"You know," Piper spoke, her voice steady once again. Alex turned from the window to face her. "You really shouldn't smoke, Alex. Lung cancer and all that."

"Cigarettes cause lung cancer?!" Alex exclaimed in mock surprise, before her signature smirk appeared on her face. "Thanks, Piper. I'll keep that in mind."

Piper smiled at her and shrugged. With a small wave, she was gone.

:||:

The rest of the week was terrible for Piper. Her so-called friends continued to harass her daily. Most of it was just ostracism and name-calling, which was annoying and indeed made her life hell, but was all stuff she could handle. It wasn't until Friday that the worst happened.

Piper was sitting in her third period history class, blinking sleepily as she tried to focus enough to take notes. The week had been long and she felt drained. She had never been bullied before; Piper had always been well-liked by her peers and made friends easily. Therefore, it was entirely stressful for her to have to put up with all the taunting, and until now she had been doing her best to keep her shit together. But it was Friday, which gave Piper a light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel feeling. After today she'd have two full days away from all of it, and she could recharge and be ready when Monday rolled around. She was confident that if she just powered through, she could ride this wave out and things would eventually go back to normal. That's how high school worked, eventually the vultures would move onto a new, more exciting kill.

The PA system buzzed to life and the secretary's voice could be heard through the static crackle. "Mr. Jackson?"

Her teacher paused in his lecture to answer, "Yes?"

"I need Piper Chapman to come to the principal's office." The secretary replied in her bored, monotone voice. Piper's heartrate sped up as her classmates turned to look at her and whispered amongst themselves.

"She'll be right there." Mr. Jackson said, making eye contact with Piper and nodding his head toward the door, excusing her. Piper knew her face was red as she gathered her things and left the room.

When she arrived at the principal's office, the secretary ushered her quickly into his office. Mr. Healy was an intimidating man when he wanted to be, but he generally liked Piper. She was a good student, one of the best runners on the cross country team, and rarely got herself into trouble.

"Piper," He said as she appeared at his doorway. "Come in and shut the door."

Piper did as she was told and took a seat in front of Mr. Healy's desk. She was nervous. She had never been called into the principal's office before without her knowing why. She had been in his office quite a bit two weeks ago, when all of _this_ (her current situation with the social hierarchy) had begun, but she thought all of that had been taken care of.

Mr. Healy cleared his throat. "I'm just going to get straight to the point here, Piper. Someone brought it to our attention that you have an open container of alcohol in your car, which is currently parked on school property. I had the security guard take a look, and he confirmed there is an open bottle of beer in your car."

Piper was so confused. She knew she didn't have any alcohol in her car, but she didn't know what to say. "Are you sure you checked _my_ car? I swear, Mr. Healy, I don't have any alcohol in my car!"

"It was your car, Piper. We are going about trying to handle this in the best way possible. You're a good kid, and you've been through a lot recently. We don't want the police to get involved and would like to try to handle it through the school. If we can do that, your punishment will be a week suspension."

Piper's mind was racing. How could this be? Could someone have planted the alcohol in her car and then tipped the administration off?

Piper couldn't hold the tears in. She had never been in trouble before, much less suspended. She didn't want to think of what could happen if the police became involved. "Mr. Healy, I think someone set me up. I think someone is trying to get me in trouble. They're all upset with me for what happened to George Mendez and they've been awful to me all week."

Mr. Healy seemed to give that some thought. "If it were anyone else, I wouldn't believe them. Did you lock your car this morning?"

Piper shrugged hopelessly. How was she going to get out of this one?

Mr. Healy picked up his phone and dialed someone. He asked whoever was on the other line to check if Piper's car doors were unlocked.

"If they're unlocked, then the argument could be made that someone set you up and we will look into it. Honestly, Piper, this looks bad, and I can't see you getting off without a punishment, unless we can prove that someone else did it or someone else confesses."

Piper nodded and wiped the tears from her cheek.

:||:

Later that night, Piper sat in her bed surfing the web. She had noticed her anxiety had been off the charts this week _(Obviously_ , given all that she had been through) and was searching for natural ways to lessen it. She kept coming across websites that touted the miracle of marijuana for treating anxiety and depression.

Piper had never smoked pot before. She had been around it at a few parties, but for the most part her friends weren't really into it. They preferred alcohol. She wondered if she knew anyone who would know where she could buy some to try it out. At this point, she was desperate and what she was reading online was really convincing.

She opened up her contacts in her phone and began scrolling through them. It wasn't surprising that most of these people were no longer speaking to her, and the few who were wouldn't have the first clue how to locate drugs.

With no luck her first go through, she decided to skim through them one more time. Her eyes settled on a contact very near the top, one that hadn't been used in years. _Alex Vause_.

Truthfully, she didn't know if Alex smoked pot or did any other kind of drugs, but she assumed that Alex would know someone who did. She could probably point her in the right direction at the very least. Alex's crew definitely seemed like the type.

She thumbed open the contact, wondering briefly if the number still belonged to Alex. She typed out a quick message anyway.

To Alex (8:14pm): Is this still Alex's number?

She received a response almost immediately.

From Alex (8:14pm): It is. Who's asking?

Piper sighed with relief. At least she was one step closer. Since she had never bought drugs before, she wasn't sure exactly how it was done. She figured being discrete would be better, just in case.

To Alex (8:17pm): Piper Chapman.

To Alex (8:17pm): I was wondering if you knew where I could find Mary Jane?

Piper continued to surf the web while she waited for Alex's reply. Minutes later, her phone buzzed.

From Alex (8:22pm): Who the fuck is Mary Jane?

Piper had counted on Alex understanding what she meant. She thought out a response and replied.

To Alex (8:25pm): I'm new to this, ok? I've been having a lot of anxiety lately and was told spending some time with _Mary Jane_ might be able to help.

Piper thought putting Mary Jane in italics might help get her point across. She didn't think buying drugs would be so confusing.

From Alex (8:26pm): Lol I knew what you meant, Piper.

From Alex (8:26pm): You can say pot.

From Alex (8:26pm): It's not like anyone is monitoring our texts.

From Alex (8:27pm): If they were, I'd be screwed ;p

From Alex (8:27pm): And they'd probably _also_ know what you meant.

Alex's texts came in a stream one after the other. Piper couldn't help but laugh a little at Alex's joke. Her nerves eased slightly.

From Alex (8:28pm): Aren't you worried smoking will give you cancer?

To Alex (8:28pm): Ha Ha. Isn't pot natural?

From Alex (8:29pm): It is, but I'm not sure inhaling any kind of smoke into your lungs, natural or not, is good for you.

From Alex (8:29pm): When do you need it?

To Alex (8:28pm): ASAP

From Alex (8:32pm): I don't have any to sell right now. If you want, you could come over and smoke some of mine with me.

Piper froze. She hadn't hung out with Alex since she was thirteen, three years ago. It was strange, really. They didn't have a falling out or a big fight or anything like that that ruined their friendship. They had simply lost touch, started hanging out with different groups of people, drifted apart.

But now Piper was devoid of friends, and she felt she could really use one right now. Alex had always been fun and a bit wild. Sometimes it was too much for young cautious Piper, but now… now maybe it was what Piper needed.

To Alex (8:40pm): Sure. That sounds fun! What's your address?

From Alex (8:40pm): Same place. Do you remember how to get here?

Piper smiled. Of course she remembered. She practically lived there for three summers.

To Alex (8:41pm): Be there in 10 :)

:||:

Ten-year-old Piper was sprawled on the floor of the living room of Alex's apartment, fanning herself with a fan she'd made by folding paper so that it looked like an accordion. Alex had showed her how last summer, and she was somewhat proud of their innovation. Sometimes they'd draw intricate designs on the paper prior to folding it up and argue over whose drawing was better.

This was what their summer days consisted of. Piper and Alex hung out every day. Sometimes Cal and Danny and a few of the other neighborhood kids joined them. Other times it was just the two of them.

Alex was currently on an Indiana Jones kick, so the two of them were sitting through _The Temple of Doom_ for what Piper believed was the fifth time this week. She could have been exaggerating, though.

"Come on, Alex. I'm so sick of this movie! We've watched it so many times we can practically recite the entire thing. Let's do something else."

"Okay," Alex agreed pretty easily. "Like what?"

"Um, I don't know. We could ride our bikes or roller blade? Or go jump on my trampoline." Piper named off some of their usual activities.

Alex groaned. "Nah. We always do those things. Let's do something more exciting."

The two thought for a minute. Exciting wasn't really Piper's forte. She preferred to stick to what she knew.

"I know!" Alex exclaimed. "We can go on our own Indiana Jones adventure! I was walking around the apartment complex last night, and down by the basketball courts a little ways into the woods, I saw a cave. We should explore it."

Piper looked skeptical. "Couldn't that be dangerous, though? What if the roof caves in on us?"

Alex looked at her as if she were a child and shook her head condescendingly. "It won't, Pipes. But if it did, think of the story we'll have!"

"Not if we're stuck!" The blonde girl insisted, then added in a whisper, "or dead."

Alex barked out a laugh. "The fact that we _could_ die is what makes it an exciting adventure! We're going."

It was decided, and Alex knew Piper would go along with the plan and follow her, because that's what Piper did.

:||:

Ten minutes later, Piper was surveying Alex's living room.

"It still looks exactly the same," Piper said, and Alex chuckled and nodded. "Your mom working?" Alex hummed the affirmative. Piper looked disappointed and said, "I was hoping to say 'hi.'"

"Oh yeah," Alex started with a laugh, "'Hi, Diane. Long time no see. Yeah I'm just here to smoke some pot with your daughter. See you later."'

Piper blushed. "Does she know that you do it?"

"Smoke? Yeah, she knows I do it on occasion, and she says she's okay with it as long as it doesn't lead to harder stuff."

"And do you? Do harder stuff?" Piper asked shyly, eyes downcast as she posed her question. Piper was curious about his version of Alex, so unknown yet still so familiar to her.

Alex's eyebrow raised as a smirk appeared on her lips. "Let's just say I've tried a few different things here and there, but don't do anything regularly. I mostly just stick to weed and alcohol."

Piper nodded and said, "That's good."

Alex barked out a laugh, "Why? You worried about me or something?"

Piper had forgotten how deep and husky the brunette could make her voice. The sound of it alone caused heat to rise to her cheeks.

"No. Well, I guess I would be if you were hooked on drugs or something," Piper mumbled.

Alex laughed again. Piper wasn't used to Alex's teasing, and it caused a thrill to shoot through her. After a week of very little positive social interactions, Piper realized she was happy to be here with Alex, who was obviously in a good mood.

Piper made herself relax a bit and came to a conscious decision to enjoy herself tonight. She and Alex had once been very good friends, and there was no reason they couldn't become friends again.

"Come on. We can smoke in my room." The brunette led the way down a short hallway to her room and ushered Piper inside. Alex sat on her bed and began packing a bowl for them to share as Piper surveyed her surroundings. While the living room was exactly how Piper remembered it, Alex's room had changed significantly. Gone were the childhood trinkets and in their place were items more suited for an eighteen-year-old. Her desk, which had once been covered with their drawing supplies, was now neatly organized with Alex's school books. Piper could tell just by looking at it that it was used often. Alex's bookshelves were full, her collection having grown over the last few years. She remembered Alex's love for books, and one summer in particular where they had passed many days reading aloud to each other. When Piper had last been in Alex's room, her older friend had had only one band poster hanging on her wall. It was a poster of her father's band Death Maiden. Piper noticed the poster was still hung in the same spot, but the corners had begun to come loose where they had been adhered to wall. Alex now had a collection of band posters hung around the room, replacing the artwork and drawings that had once been proudly displayed there.

The blonde sat next to Alex on her bed. Her eyes met Alex's as the brunette took her first hit. Piper watched intently as she inhaled the smoke into her lungs, held it there for a few seconds, and then finally exhaled a large cloud of smoke. The blonde noticed how Alex almost immediately relaxed; her head rolling back slightly, eyelids becoming heavy, shoulders slumping. Alex offered the bowl to Piper.

Piper took it hesitantly. Helplessly, she said, "I've never…"

Alex smirked. "Hold the bowl like this in your left hand, with your thumb covering this hole here. Now bring the bowl to your lips and suck in slightly as you light the weed to bring the smoke into this part here. Then when you see that this part is filled with smoke, release your finger from the hole and inhale the smoke. I always try to keep it in my lungs for a few seconds before exhaling."

Piper took the bowl from Alex and mimicked her actions. She had barely inhaled, when the smoke was ejected violently from her lungs in a painful coughing fit. Piper struggled to breathe in between cough after cough after cough. Her throat felt like it was on fire, and heat rose to her cheeks due to embarrassment.

Alex handed her a glass of water from her nightstand. She had the courtesy not to laugh. Piper gulped the drink down and was finally able to breathe.

"That was terrible!" Piper voice sounded scratchy and raw. "Why do people do this?"

Alex got a dopey grin on her face and reached for the bowl. Piper handed it over, their fingers brushing. Alex took another hit and replied, "Because it makes you feel like this."

Piper smiled at how relaxed Alex looked. Alex offered her the bowl again, and after another brief hesitation, the blonde grasped it. She coughed less on this hit than the first, and actually thought she felt something that time. She didn't know if she was just imagining it though, since she knew she was supposed to feel different.

They took turns passing the bowl between them until Alex finished it off, setting the piece onto her nightstand. She laid back across her bed, legs dangling off the edge, arms folded under her head and stared up at the ceiling. After a minute, Piper followed suit. Alex reached over for her phone and turned on some music.

Piper didn't know how long they laid beside each other like that listening to Alex's music. It felt like an eternity and Piper was lost in her own thoughts. She felt relaxed though, not paranoid like some of the websites she had read earlier had warned.

After a while, Alex turned her head to face Piper and asked, "You doing okay, kid?"

Piper nodded and said, "Yeah. I don't even know if I'm actually high. I can't tell if I feel different."

"It can be hard to tell the first few times you smoke. You look high though."

"I do?" Piper sat up suddenly and brought her hands to her face. _What does high even look like?_

Alex sat up and laughed at how confused Piper looked. And once the laughter started, she couldn't stop. Piper joined in and the two laughed hysterically. The laughter would die down every few minutes until one of them started laughing again and the whole cycle would repeat.

Piper laughed until her face hurt and then she stopped. She forced herself to take a few deep breaths to try to stay serious and not fall into a fit of laughter again.

She got a hold of herself, then asked Alex, "Hey. What ever happened to all those drawings we did when we were younger? You know, the ones we hung all over your walls?" Piper gestured the surrounding walls, now covered with posters.

Alex smiled excitedly. "I still have them in my closet somewhere. Wanna look at them?"

Piper nodded enthusiastically and the two laughed again as Alex went to dig the pages out. Alex returned, sitting on the floor this time and spread the lose papers out in front of her. Piper slid off the bed and onto the ground across from Alex and reached for the nearest sheet.

Many of the drawings were of cars and trains, done by Danny and Cal. Danny was a pretty good artist and was often the one who wanted to draw when they all played together as children.

"Oh my god. Jessica Wedgie!" Piper exclaimed in a fit of giggles. Alex's eyes lit up and she crawled over next to Piper to examine the drawing.

Jessica Wedgie was a satirical character Alex had made up based on none other than Jessica Wedge. Piper and Alex had thought up many stories that featured her always ending up in the most awful situations and usually involving a massive wedgie. Sometimes one of their fictional stories ended up being depicted in a drawing like the one Piper currently held.

The two girls spent the next hour laughing at their childhood drawings and reminiscing. They wound up back on Alex's bed, sitting with their backs to her headboard with their legs stretched out in front of them. It had been a few minutes since either girl had spoken, but they were content to sit in comfortable silence.

Piper smiled and nudged Alex's shoulder. "Thanks for letting me come over tonight. It was fun to hang out with you again."

Alex nudged her back and said, "Yeah, it was."

Piper was quiet for a moment, debating on whether she wanted to say the next thing that came to her mind. "The past few weeks have been really tough and I guess I just really needed a night like tonight to feel normal again."

Alex met her eyes with a curious expression. Piper was surprised to find that she actually wanted to confide in Alex about what had happened. The blonde had grown up in a family where bad things weren't discussed, they were simply swept under the rug; forgotten. You didn't talk about these sort of things, in case they changed the way others viewed you. And her family, especially her mother, believed you shouldn't do anything that would increase the chance of your reputation being ruined; of changing the way people perceived you as the perfect family, the perfect daughter.

Alex sighed and lightly touched her hand to Piper's limp one that rested on the bed between them. They both focused their gazes on their touching hands as Alex spoke. "You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, but I've heard some things around school, and I just want you to know that if you want to talk about anything, I'm here." She paused to lock eyes with Piper. "I know it's been a while since we were close, but I think that when you have a connection with someone it never really goes away. I'll always be here for you, whenever you need me, Pipes."

Piper felt the tears well up in her eyes as she gazed into Alex's sincere green ones. She knew that Alex meant what she said, and an overwhelming feeling of being cared for washed over her. She trusted Alex, and probably always would. After spending a few hours together that night after three years of no contact, it was like nothing had changed, like they had fallen right back into old rhythms and being important to one another again. She linked her fingers with Alex's and took a deep breath, ready to bare her soul.

"I don't even really know how to say it." Piper's voice wavered slightly, but was mostly strong. "Two weeks ago, at a party, I was raped." She paused, letting the confession sink in as she watched the emotions flicker across Alex's face. Alex squeezed her hand supportively, and Piper continued. "It's one of those things you never think will happen to you, you know? I guess I'm still kind of in shock, but I think I'm handling it okay."

"Oh, Piper." Alex said softly. This caused Piper to lose her composure, face crumpling as the tears finally escaped down her cheeks. Alex pulled Piper into a gentle hug, rubbing her hand softly, comfortingly up and down her back.

Piper cried. "I just don't understand how someone can do that, can keep going, when the other person is crying and saying 'no' again and again and begging him to stop. I begged him to stop, but he just kept going."

Alex kissed the top of her head and continued rocking her back and forth until Piper calmed down. Piper pulled back slightly, not far enough to break the embrace, but just enough to look into Alex's face. She saw anger there, and sadness, and she knew it must be killing Alex to keep her anger at bay. Alex had always been protective of Piper, but Alex's anger wasn't what Piper needed at this moment, and somehow Alex knew that.

"I'm so sorry that this happened to you, Piper. I don't know what to say to make it better; I don't know if there's anything that can make it better," Alex said hopelessly.

Piper buried herself back in Alex's arms, enjoying the feeling of releasing her pent up emotions and basking in the feeling of being cared for. "You're already making it better. Just being here for me; that's helping so much. You know, all my friends are pissed that I told the principal what happened. He ended up expelling Mendez, which is what I wanted him to do. I couldn't stand the thought of having to see him around school, but he's got a lot of friends and he plays on the football team, so everyone is angry with me. They've been bullying me all week. Someone even planted an open beer bottle in my car, and got me suspended for the week." More hot tears trailed down Piper's cheek, adding to the wet patch already soaking through Alex's t-shirt.

"What?!" Alex abruptly pulled away. "You're saying your friends abandoned you to side with that fucking asshole?!" Piper nodded. "Not even abandoned really. They're harassing you? Who is doing it?"

Piper shrugged. "I don't know who left the beer bottle or wrote that thing about me in the bathroom, but I think it was Jessica. She's been the most vocal about it all. I think everyone's scared to stand up to her."

"Piper, I can't believe you've been going through all of this alone. I'm sure your mom hasn't been very supportive."

That earned an eye roll and a shake of the head from Piper. "No. She won't talk about it. Won't let me talk about it. It's the Chapman way to keep these things secret. We can't let anyone know we're not perfect and invincible."

Alex chuckled. "What about Polly?"

Piper shook her head. "I think she's afraid of what will happen if she goes against Jessica."

Alex pulled away angry. "Seriously? Isn't she your best friend? What a fucking cunt."

Piper took her hand to calm her. "Polly walked in on us at the party. If it hadn't been for her…" Piper shook her head. "Polly is my best friend. She took care of me after. She backed up my story to Mr. Healy. She was there for me, but she's scared of Jessica. I don't blame her and I'm not mad at her."

Alex still looked pissed. "But she's supposed to be your best friend. I can't believe she'd just leave you to deal with this all on your own."

Piper just shrugged. The truth was, if their roles were reversed, she didn't know if she would have done anything to cross Jessica Wedge either. "I'm glad we're friends again. At least I have you now."

Alex smiled at her. "Yes you do. Call me anytime you need anything, okay Pipes? If one of them tries messing with you again, tell me. I won't stand for it."

Piper would have laughed if Alex hadn't looked so serious. Piper felt relieved that someone now had her back. "Thanks, Al. As soon as some new scandalous gossip appears, I'm sure all of this will be forgotten and things will go back to normal."

"I know you're upset that your perfect record will be tarnished," Alex began jokingly, "but maybe this suspension will actually be good. Give you some time away from those bitches and by the time you return I'm sure they will have already moved on to their next unsuspecting, undeserving victim."

Piper knew Alex was probably right, and she couldn't help feeling that the worst of everything was over. She had suffered a week of torture by herself, but even if the bullying continued she now had Alex on her side.

Piper left Alex's that night feeling much happier, calmer, and more hopeful than she had in a long time.

 **A/N: As I said above, this is the first fic I've written in a long time and I am a bit rusty! I'd really appreciate any comments/criticisms/things you liked/things you didn't like about this story!**

 **There is at least one more part to this, but depending on how long that part gets, I may split it into two! The next part should be posted in about a week.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	2. Part II

**A/N: Wow! A HUGE thank you to everyone who took the time to read, review, follow, and/or favorite this story. It means so much to me! I'm sure many of you are familiar with the nervous feeling that goes along with posting your work to be critiqued by others, so your encouraging response was such a relief!**

 **Warnings:**

 **This story contains mentions of and discussions of rape (not in great detail, but it is central to the plot of this story). If this is triggering to you or will upset you to read about, please do not read this story!**

 **This story also contains and depicts the use of marijuana. Again, if this offends or upsets you, please do not read this story!**

 **I hope you enjoy part 2!**

After the Storm II

:||:

Somewhat surprisingly (to Alex at least), it is Piper who first approaches Alex.

It had been about a week since the day Alex first saw Piper skating past her apartment complex. It was mid-afternoon, the sun high in the sky, and Alex was sitting in the shade against a tree. She was engulfed in a book, as per usual, when she heard a throat clear above her. She looked up into the smiling face of the girl she hadn't stopped thinking about since the previous Tuesday. She'd even begun to explore the surrounding neighborhoods in hopes of seeing her again. That was how she had come across the small park she was currently reading in.

"Hi!" The blonde girl (Piper, Alex remembered) said enthusiastically with a small wave.

Alex smiled slightly in return and said apprehensively back, "Hey." She wasn't used to kids coming up to her with the intention of being friendly, but Piper looked so genuine which made Alex feel pretty confident that this wasn't some sort of prank.

Piper took that as invitation to sit, so she squatted cross-legged in the grass facing her new acquaintance. "Are you new in town? I haven't seen you around before."

Alex nodded, setting her book aside. "My mom and I moved here two weeks ago."

Piper grabbed the book Alex had set aside. "I read this book last year! I really liked it. What do you think about it so far?"

The book was _A Wrinkle in Time_ by Madeleine L'Engle, and Alex had already read it numerous times. "It's one of my favorites," Alex replied smiling shyly.

"I'm Piper, by the way."

"My name is Alex."

The two new friends were interrupted when someone called Piper's name from across the park, near a playground.

"That's my older brother Danny. He thinks you're cute," Piper said raising her eyebrows with a giggle. Alex blushed slightly. She was eleven, but wasn't really interested in boys yet. Her mom said it was only a matter of time. "Do you want to play with us?"

"Sure," Alex said with a nod. She stood up and threw her book into the small backpack she carried with her.

As they walked to meet up with Piper's brother, Piper confided, "We're not actually supposed to come to this park. My mother doesn't like us to leave our neighborhood, but we do anyway! We don't have a playground like this in our neighborhood."

"Which neighborhood do you live in?" Alex asked.

Piper pointed in the direction that led to some of the biggest houses she'd ever seen, and Alex immediately felt her heart drop. She hadn't had good experiences with rich kids and she had hoped Piper wouldn't be one of them.

"Pipe, hurry up! The ice cream truck is coming!" Danny shouted as they drew nearer.

Piper smiled, quickening her pace. "That's the other reason we come to the park! The ice cream truck drives by here every day! My favorite is the big ice cream cookie sandwich!"

The two girls come to a stop by Danny, who was already in line. Danny smiled shyly at Alex, before turning to order his ice cream.

"What are you gonna get?" Piper asked as they waited for their turn.

Alex's face turned red and she looked away. "Oh. I don't really have any money with me."

Piper frowned. The two stepped up and the ice cream man asked them what they wanted. "Can I get two popsicles?"

"Sure thing!" The ice cream man turned to dig into his freezer. "What flavors would you like?"

"Cherry for me! And…." She trailed off nudging Alex.

A look of surprise crossed over Alex's features. Then she smiled and said, "Orange, please."

Alex looked at the prices on the menu and saw that the price of two popsicles equaled exactly the price of one big ice cream cookie sandwich.

:||:

Piper spent the next day attempting to entertain herself. It was a rare experience for her to have a weekend lacking any plans. She wondered what Polly was doing. She knew her best friend was probably just as miserable as she was; even though Polly was still included in social events, Piper knew the other girl wouldn't be having much fun without Piper there. Since Polly had moved onto her street when the girls were twelve, the two had formed a fast friendship. Polly's mother used to tell them they were "two P's in a pod" which led to Polly's family always referring to them as P1 and P2.

She had already binge-watched the most recent season of Pretty Little Liars on Netflix and finished the novel she was currently reading. Her homework was complete, and it wasn't even dinner time yet. Piper glanced at the time on her phone. She was admittedly bored and didn't know what to do about it.

Her thoughts immediately drifted to Alex and how much fun she had had the previous night reconnecting with the older girl. She had the sudden urge to text her, see what her plans were for the night, but didn't want to come across as needy or clingy.

Scrolling through Facebook and Instagram on her phone, she hoped to catch some sort of idea of what Alex was up to tonight. She acknowledged that it was a little creepy and maybe slightly stalker-ish, but Alex was her only friend at the moment and Piper was getting sick of her own company.

After finding nothing (let's face it, Alex wasn't exactly a social media queen), Piper decided it wouldn't hurt to just text the girl. She'd do it in a very breezy, nonchalant, non-clingy way.

To Alex (3:05pm): Hey! What are you up to?

From Alex (3:06pm): Not much. Just getting ready for work. What about you?

A frown immediately appeared across Piper's face at the new information. Alex worked tonight. She was disappointed they wouldn't be able to hang out again.

To Alex (3:06): That's a bummer. I was hoping to hang out again.

Piper began to get nervous when after a few minutes she didn't receive a reply. Maybe Alex didn't want to hang out with her again. Maybe she had just felt bad for her last night and that's all it was. Piper couldn't help but feel saddened at the thought. She had really been hoping to rekindle their friendship; not just because of her current lack of friends, but because she genuinely had fun with Alex the previous night.

She had just about given up on getting a reply, and was about to check what was new at the local Redbox, when her phone buzzed.

Perhaps too eagerly, she unlocked the screen to read the message.

From Alex (3:28pm): You could come hang out at the diner and keep me company when it's slow

From Alex (3:28pm): Not the most exciting way to spend a Saturday night, I know, but if you're bored…

From Alex (3:28pm): My mom is also working tonight, and I know you were hoping to see her

Piper smiled at the stream of texts.

To Alex (3:29pm): Which diner?

:||:

When Piper walked into the diner, she was immediately greeted by the grinning face of Diane Vause.

"And who might you be?" Diane joked, pretending for a minute not to recognize Piper. Piper grinned back and collapsed into Diane's arms. Diane whispered in her ear, "Long time no see, kid. It's so good to see you. Alex said you might come by tonight." She pulled away, gently pushing Piper to arm's length. "Now let me look at you. You've grown into such a gorgeous young lady, Piper."

Piper blushed slightly. "It's so good to see you, too, Diane. I've missed you."

"Come sit down." Diane led Piper to a corner booth and sat down opposite her. "Alex said you were going through a rough time?" At Piper's wide eyed expression (Because of course Alex tells her mom _everything_ ), Diane hurried on to say, "Don't worry, she didn't give me any details. I just wanted you to know that you're welcome at our place anytime, Piper. Even if Alex and I aren't home, the spare key is under the mat out front. You let yourself in whenever you need to, kid. You're family."

Piper felt tears sting her eyes. "Thanks, Diane."

Diane patted Piper's hand which rested on the table. "I'll tell Alex you're here. You want some fries, sweetie?"

Piper smiled. "Yes, please!"

Piper glanced around the diner. Even though it was dinner time, the restaurant was pretty empty. It wasn't the type of place Piper imagined ever getting too busy. Piper hadn't even known of its existence until Alex had texted her thirty minutes ago.

"Hey Pipes," Alex said as she slid into the booth across from Piper pushing a steaming plate of fries to the middle of the table.

"Hey," Piper replied, snatching a fry off the plate and popping it into her mouth. "Wow, these are really good!"

Alex smirked and said, "I made them fresh, just for you." She punctuated the statement with a wink.

Piper blushed slightly, but tried to cover it. "How long have you worked here?"

Alex shrugged and grabbed a few fries. "My mom got me hired when I turned sixteen. It never gets too busy which means I usually have time to finish my homework, so that's nice. We have a lot of regulars that come in and they tip well. All in all, it's not too bad."

Piper nodded as she chewed another fry.

"Hey, so," Alex suddenly looked nervous, not letting her eyes meet Piper's but instead staring at the plate of fries, "my friend Nicky is having a party tonight, and I was planning to stop by after my shift." Green eyes finally met blue. "If you're not doing anything you should come with me."

Piper's belly somersaulted at the invitation. "I'm not doing anything!" Alex's lips turned up in a smug, self-satisfied smirk in response to Piper's, perhaps too eager, reply. Piper's cheeks colored, and she cleared her throat. "I mean, that sounds fun."

Piper hung around the diner for a few hours chatting with Diane and Alex whenever they could spare a few minutes to take a break, before heading home around 7 to get ready for Nicky's party. Alex told her she got off at 9 and would come by around 9:30 to pick her up. After Piper's pestering inquisition, Alex had told her to dress casual.

After much debate, Piper settled on a cute turquoise strappy top, faded ripped skinny jeans, and thin black flip flops. She loosely curled her long hair, hoping to go for that effortlessly sophisticated, yet casual look. She assumed most of Alex's friends dressed similarly to the brunette, but Piper didn't really have any edgy clothes that fit the bill. She thought she looked good, though, and for some reason, that seemed to matter a lot to Piper. She figured it was because she wanted to look good for Alex so that she would be proud to introduce her to her friends.

At 9:30 on the dot, Piper was sliding into the passenger seat of Alex's old Toyota Corolla.

Piper could practically feel Alex's gaze on her as she buckled up, so she turned to face her friend. Her face immediately flushed as Alex's eyes raked up and down her body, taking in her appearance.

"Is what I'm wearing okay?" The younger girl asked self-consciously.

"Yeah," Alex replied, seeming to snap herself out of whatever thoughts she was having as she stared at Piper. She put her right arm over Piper's seat and turned her head to look over her shoulder to back out of the driveway. "You look good," She said, flicking her eyes to Piper's briefly before focusing them behind her once again.

Piper felt her stomach grow warm at the compliment. She looked down at her hands clasped together in her lap and murmured a quiet, "Thanks."

The short ride to Nicky's was uneventful (with the exception of Piper getting extremely nervous when Alex texted Nicky while driving, offering to text the other girl back for her. Alex had laughed with a sparkle in her eyes and said, "I got it, Piper. I see you're still a worry wart.").

As they parked in front of Nicky's enormous house, Alex seemed to pick up on Piper's growing discomfort.

"Hey. You okay, Pipes?" Alex turned in her seat to face Piper.

"Yeah, it's just… I haven't been to a party since… you know?" Piper fidgeted with her hands. "I didn't think it'd be a problem, but I guess I'm just kind of nervous."

"Shit. I'm sorry, Piper. I didn't even think about that." Alex rushed out, feeling kind of disappointed with herself for not considering how being at a party might make Piper feel. "I think this kind of party will be a bit different from what you're used to, though. And I'll be by your side all night, I promise. I won't let anything happen to you. If you start to feel uncomfortable at all, though, just tell me and I'll take you home, okay?"

Piper nodded, feeling better. "Thanks, Al."

Piper was relieved to see that Alex was right; this party _was_ different. It was way more mellow, and Piper realized halfway through that it was because most of the partygoers were stoned rather than drunk.

Sure, there was alcohol, which Piper politely declined, determined to keep her wits about her, but it didn't seem to be functioning as anyone's main vice for the night. As they walked through the house looking for Nicky, Alex took her hand in a loose grip and smiled reassuringly at her, and Piper thought she may be experiencing her first contact high, because she felt on top of the world.

They found Nicky in the basement with a few others playing a game of pool.

"Yo, Vause!" Nicky shouted when she saw her friend, breaking away from the game to come say hi. "And who is this?" There was something suggestive about her tone, but Piper couldn't quite figure it out. She couldn't help feeling she was the brunt of some inside joke. She crossed her arms defensively across her chest while Alex introduced her.

"This is my _friend_ , Piper." Piper picked up on a slight emphasis on the word friend, but she was still confused.

"Ahhhh, yes, Piper. Don't you hang out with that cuntface, Jessica Wedge?" Nicky asked, and Piper hated that out of all her friends, Jessica was the one she was associated with.

"They're not friends," Alex said, saving Piper from the embarrassing connection.

Nicky just shrugged and threw her arm around Alex's shoulders. "Wanna take a hit then play next round?"

Alex nodded as Nicky led her away. Alex locked eyes with Piper and motioned with her head for the blonde to follow them. Piper followed them into a room where people were rolling and smoking joints. Nicky took one and lit it up, taking a hit. She passed it to Alex, who then offered it to Piper.

Piper looked at it wondering what she would do. She didn't want to look lame by not taking a hit, but she was also worried she'd cough again and embarrass herself. Alex saw her hesitation and passed it back to Nicky, saving her (once again) from having to make a decision that may embarrass her. If Nicky noticed, she didn't say anything, which made Piper relax.

"Do you care if I play a game of pool?" Alex asked Piper as they made their way back to the room with the pool table.

Piper shook her head. "Can I watch?"

Alex chuckled. "Of course, you idiot. You can cheer me on." Alex pulled a tall bar chair against the wall near the pool table and commanded, "Sit. I'm going to grab a beer. You want anything to drink? Soda? Water?"

Piper smiled at Alex's attentiveness. She decided she felt comfortable here and so she said, "I'll take a beer, too, please."

So Piper watched and cheered dutifully for Alex as she faced off against Nicky. When Alex sunk the eight ball, effectively winning the game, Piper squealed and flung herself into Alex's arms. Alex squeezed her briefly then gently pulled away to high five another girl who had been watching the game, Piper thought her name was Tricia.

Even after Alex let go of her, Piper stayed fairly close to her side, gazing up at her with a look of pride and awe. Alex couldn't help but smirk at the look.

"You okay there, Pipes?" Alex asked after everyone had finished cheering and congratulating her and Nicky had sulked off to go smoke another joint.

Piper nodded enthusiastically, "You were amazing, Alex!"

"And I think you, kid, are a lightweight." Alex teased. At sixteen, Piper was tall and thin with an athletic build. Alex figured she weighed one hundred pounds soaking wet.

"I am not!" Piper exclaimed in mock offense, crossing her arms over her chest petulantly.

Alex rasped out a laugh while draping her arm around Piper's shoulders. Piper shivered as Alex leaned in close and husked out, "Are you having fun?"

Piper couldn't find her voice so she nodded. Piper didn't know why all of a sudden this whole night felt sort of like a date. How excited she had felt when Alex asked her to come to the party with her; how she took so long to choose her outfit, because she wanted to impress Alex, and how she felt butterflies in her stomach every time Alex touched her or looked at her in a certain way.

"Come on," Alex said, stepping out of Piper's personal space. "Let me teach you how to play poker."

:||:

By the time Monday afternoon rolled around, Piper wanted to kill herself. She had no idea how she would make it through a week of being home alone with no school, no social interaction, nothing to occupy her time. She felt like she was already going insane.

She really hoped Jessica would find another target soon so she could get her friends back, especially Polly. Her phone buzzed and she couldn't help the excited smile that appeared at seeing who was texting her.

From Polly (2:33pm): Pete finally fucking asked me out today. About goddamn time, amiright?

To Polly (2:34pm): fucking finally! He's been all over you since school started!

From Polly (2:34pm): God I missed you, Pipe.

From Polly (2:35pm): I'm so sorry for everything. Jessica can suck my dick. Life seriously sucks without you.

From Polly (2:36pm): I got all your assignments from your teachers. Want me to bring them over?

To Polly (2:36pm): Thanks, Pol. That would be awesome. I am literally dying of boredom. Come fill me in on the gossip.

When Polly arrived, she immediately pulled Piper into a quick hug, saying sincerely, "I really am sorry I haven't been here for you during all this, Piper. But I'm back to being your number one bitch and if you need to talk or vent or cry or whatever, I'm here for you."

"Thanks, Pol," Piper managed through the tears that had accumulated in her eyes. She felt so relieved to have her best friend back.

Polly pulled out of the hug and smiled, wiping a stray tear from Piper's cheek. "Alright. Enough of this sentimental bullshit. I have to tell you about how terrible this weekend was!"

Piper and Polly sat at opposite ends of the living room couch, legs spread out in between them. Piper couldn't help the gigantic grin that seemed to have set up permanent residence across her face as Polly detailed Jessica's pool party that had been prematurely shut down when her parents returned home earlier than expected.

"The look on her face was fucking hilarious, Piper. I wish you were there to see it." The girls laughed together for a few more minutes and Piper was so thankful to have Polly back again.

"Me too." Piper said quietly as their giggles died down.

Polly bumped her knee against Piper's and said, "How was your weekend? Are you still doing okay?"

Piper smiled at her friend's concern. "Yeah, I'm doing okay. I'm glad I don't have to see him around, which helps me not to think about it too much." She didn't mention how she still occasionally had nightmares. They were getting better, and there was no need to burden Polly with problems she couldn't help with. "I actually hung out with Alex this weekend."

"Alex Vause? Huh, I didn't know you guys still talked."

Piper laughed. "We hadn't, up until Friday. I tried to buy weed from her." Piper admitted somewhat embarrassed.

"Piper Chapman! You seriously choose the one weekend I'm MIA from your life to decide to break the rules and do something so not like you!" Polly seems disappointed, yet also pleasantly surprised. "So what was it like?"

So Piper fills Polly in on her exciting weekend with Alex.

:||:

On Tuesday evening, Piper received some good news. Principal Healy called to tell her that during the board meeting they had discussed her situation and decided that there wasn't sufficient evidence to suspend her. He mentioned that her excellent track record and high GPA had also factored into their decision. She could come back to school Wednesday.

Piper sat in her car in the school parking lot Wednesday morning with mixed feelings. She was happy to be back, solely to save her from the boredom of sitting home alone, but she also knew, courtesy of Polly, that Jessica was still angry at her. She was not looking forward to whatever Jessica had planned for her next.

At lunch, she found herself in a similar situation to last week. She stood in the cafeteria surveying the groups of friends hunched over their lunches, trying to decide where she could sit. Her eyes finally landed on the table Alex was sitting at with a few of her friends; some of them Piper recognized from the party Saturday.

She was still very insecure about where she stood with Alex in terms of their budding friendship. Both nights they had hung out had been initiated by Piper, and Alex had yet to contact her first via text. Piper still wasn't sure if Alex just felt bad for her or actually enjoyed her company, and she didn't know if Alex would want her intruding on her school life like she had on her life outside of school.

Piper hesitated, but in the end, she realized she had no other options unless she wanted to eat her lunch alone in a bathroom stall like a pathetic loser with no friends (which she kind of currently was).

She had just taken a determined step forward when she felt a cautious hand on her arm. She turned and came face to face with Larry, the nerdy boy from her fourth period Geometry class. He smiled at her so she smiled back.

He cleared his throat, then said, "I saw you standing here looking a little lost and I remembered you saying your friends were mad at you, so I thought I would invite you to sit with me and my friends in the band hallway."

Piper couldn't help but smile at his obvious nervousness. She thought it was kind of cute and sweet that he had noticed her distress and wanted to help. "That would be great. Thanks, Larry!"

She gave one last look to the table Alex was sitting at, and found piercing green eyes lock with her bright blue ones. Piper smiled and gave a nervous wave. Alex smirked at her with an eyebrow raised in acknowledgment. Piper's stomach flipped, and she was beginning to realize that she was strangely attracted to Alex, in a way that seemed to indicate more than just friends. Piper wasn't clueless. She was able to recognize why her stomach flipped every time Alex gazed at her intently or smirked in her direction or teased her; and why she was a nervous wreck around her, second guessing how the brunette thought of her; and why she couldn't hold back a smile when she thought about her. No, she knew exactly what these feelings were; she had just never felt them for another girl before.

She tore her gaze away from Alex and followed Larry into the band hallway.

Piper had never set foot in the band hallway before. The band kids were pretty low on the social hierarchy, and Piper's crowd and the band crowd rarely, if ever, mixed. But Piper liked Larry, despite herself. He had a sort of nerdy charm, and she really was grateful to have someplace to eat her lunch away from Jessica and her followers.

Larry struck up an awkward, yet somewhat easy, conversation with Piper and she found herself enjoying his company. She could tell he liked her due to his not so subtle flirting and checking her out. He was nice enough, and given the same circumstances she was in, but minus the Alex factor, she probably would have gone for it with Larry. However, as it was, her thoughts rested solely upon Alex and the confused attraction she felt for her. She knew it was something she wanted to sort out before even considering any kind of relationship with Larry.

:||:

On Thursday, Piper was beginning to feel comfortable again, so she let her guard down. That was her first mistake. Jessica and her loyal followers had been rather low key toward Piper since she had returned the following day, so Piper had wrongly assumed their vendetta against her was over.

Her second mistake had been ditching Larry at lunch to sit with Alex and her friends. That morning Piper had received the following text from Alex:

From Alex (7:15am): Wanna sit with me at lunch today?

She had been so giddy to have received the invite (not to mention that fact that Alex had texted her first), that she hadn't thought about any potential consequences of eating in the open space of the cafeteria, leaving her vulnerable to an attack from Jessica.

When Piper first sat down next to Alex, she was relieved to recognize Nicky as well as a few other familiar faces from the party Saturday. Luckily they were all friendly toward her, and Piper could tell that even though they teased each other mercilessly, it was never done in a malicious way. It was refreshing, considering what Piper was used to with her popular friends.

They were halfway through the lunch when Piper heard an oddly familiar, but misplaced sound followed by movement behind her that caught her attention. Before she even really knew what had happened, Alex was up out of her seat, towering over two frightened-looking freshman, clutched in their hands were pairs of scissors and a few thick chunks of Piper's blonde tresses.

Piper reached behind her head, mouth dropped open in shock or horror and felt her newly mangled locks.

"What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing?" Alex spoke in an authoritative and threateningly tone, somehow without raising her voice much to draw more attention to what had happened.

The two young girls looked like they wanted to die and stumbled over their words as their faces turned red enough to match the spaghetti sauce on Piper's plate.

Alex didn't back down and continued to hold them under her harsh gaze. One of the girls managed to sputter out, "Jessica said that we could sit at the popular table at lunch if we cut some of Piper's hair off."

Alex was seething. Piper had never seen her so mad before and was afraid she'd do something drastic. She put her hand gently on Alex's arm and said, "It's okay, Alex. It's just hair. It'll grow back."

Alex took a calming breath, then said threateningly to the two freshman, "You listen to me. If you come near her again, a bad haircut will be the least of your worries."

Alex returned to her seat and the two girls scurried off. Piper knew it was stupid, but the whole situation was just so tense and upsetting, she found that she was battling tears.

She managed to get out, "I'm just going to go to the bathroom and try to put my hair in a ponytail or something," before quickly throwing her backpack over her shoulder and practically sprinting out of the cafeteria toward the nearest bathroom.

:||:

After school, Piper made her way across the parking lot toward her car. All she could think about was getting home and hiding out in her room for the rest of the night. She had just about made it to her car when Alex swung her own car into the empty space next to Piper's.

"Get in, loser," she husked out, reaching across the passenger seat to open the door for Piper. "We've got ourselves hair appointments."

At the salon, Alex and Piper sat in neighboring chairs and made idle chit chat with their hairdressers.

Piper explained her situation to Sophia, who promised to make her hair look real good and told her not to let nasty bitches get to her.

"So what are you going to get done?" Piper asked Alex.

"Well, it's definitely time for a change. I'm thinking blue tips."

Afterward, they stopped by the diner to say hello to Alex's mom and pick up some food to bring back to Alex's place. Then Alex dropped Piper off at school so she could get her car, with the intention of meeting back up at Alex's. They ate quickly and worked on homework together until it began to get dark outside.

"Well, I'm finished with mine," Alex said, stretching her arms above her head and yawning.

Piper caught the yawn from Alex and said, "Me too." She finished the sentence she was writing and then set her pencil down. She knew it was getting late, so she began to pack up her things, figuring she had overstayed her welcome.

"You don't have to leave yet if you don't want to," Alex said, pushing her chair back and disappearing into her room.

Piper didn't know whether or not she should follow, but Alex reappeared shortly after holding up a blunt in her hand.

"I thought we could smoke together again, and maybe take a walk around the apartment complex? It's really nice out tonight." Piper picked up on the slightly nervous undertone to Alex's confident invitation and the masked hopefulness in her eyes.

"Okay." Piper agreed, and Alex's grin was triumphant.

"I think I'm corrupting you," Alex said with a raspy chuckle as she lit the blunt.

"Yes, I think you are," Piper smiled deviously as she took the blunt from Alex and inhaled. This time she managed to stifle the coughing fit down to a few small coughs into the crook of her arm. She looked at Alex, pleased with herself.

"See? Already a pro." Alex said, taking the blunt back from Piper.

After they walked around Alex's apartment complex, they ended up at the basketball courts. They lay down with their heads parallel to each other, feet pointed in opposite directions and looked up at the stars.

Piper was the first to break their companionable silence. "Thanks for sticking up for me today at lunch. And for taking me to the salon after school."

Alex rolled over so that she was facing Piper and propped her head on her hand. Piper mirrored her actions, so they were face to face. "Of course, Pipes. I told you I'm not just going to sit back and watch as Jessica and her minions treat you that way." Alex paused and got a look on her face like she was thinking deeply about something. She reached over to tuck a loose strand of Piper's hair behind her ear. "Your new haircut looks cute, by the way," she said in a teasing tone, but Piper could detect the sincerity in her eyes. Piper blushed, and hoped Alex couldn't see it in the dark.

"Thanks." Once again mirroring Alex, Piper reached over and fingered a blue strand of Alex's hair. "The blue looks good, too. Makes you look even cooler than you already did."

Alex feigned a surprised gasp, "Piper Chapman thinks I'm cool! Maybe now I can eat lunch at the popular table."

Piper pushed Alex's shoulder lightly at her teasing.

"Hey! Remember that time we explored that cave down there?" Piper said out of the blue, pointing in the general direction of the location of the cave. "You wanted to play Indiana Jones. God, you were so obsessed with him that summer," Piper laughed.

"Yeah," Alex said with a wistful laugh, laying down again in her previous position. Piper followed suit. "I remember having a very "Indiana" moment when I had to save your ass after you fell off that rock and broke your arm."

"You gave me a piggy-back ride the whole way back. I remember thinking that you must have been pretty strong to carry me the whole way."

"Piper, you were a literal twig back then. Still are." Alex teased, poking her in the rib.

"Hey!" Piper exclaimed with a giggle, swatting Alex's hand away. "You were my hero that day. Kinda like you were today," Piper said softly. She immediately felt embarrassed that she had said that, and hoped that Alex would blame her sentimentality on the weed.

Alex didn't respond and they lay in silence a moment longer. Eventually, Piper began to shiver as the air took on a chill, so Alex suggested they head back to the apartment.

:||:

The following day, Piper didn't see much of Alex around school. They made eye contact in the hallway once in the morning, but that was it. She wasn't at her usual table at lunch, so Piper sat with Larry in the band hallway again.

After school, she went up to her room to work on some homework. She couldn't help wondering what Alex was up to that night and if she should text her to find out.

She was just about to give in and send the text when her phone rang.

"Hey, Pol! What's up?"

"You may want to reconsider buddying up to your new bestie." Polly said without preamble.

"Huh?"

"She totally outed herself to the entire school today. Alex Vause is a big old lesbo."

:||:

 **A/N: Alright, so this story kept growing and growing and growing, so I decided to split the last part into two. That means there will be one more chapter** **Thank you all so much for reading, following, favoriting and reviewing this story so far! You have no idea how much it is appreciated. The encouraging words I received on the first chapter really helped me get this chapter done as quickly as I could! Please, please, please consider leaving a review! I will love you forever if you do! :)**


	3. Part III

**A/N: So I guess I am pretty terrible at looking at my outline and determining chapter length! There will be at least one more chapter to this (I am 95% positive the next chapter will be the last!).**

 **Thank you guys for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! They make my day!**

 **Warnings:**

 **This story contains mentions of and discussions of rape (not in great detail, but it is central to the plot of this story). If this is triggering to you or will upset you to read about, please do not read this story!**

 **This story also contains and depicts the use of marijuana. Again, if this offends or upsets you, please do not read this story!**

 **I hope you enjoy part 3!**

After the Storm III

:||:

"Someone's spreading rumors about you," Piper said nonchalantly, staring at Alex to gauge her reaction.

The two girls were seated at opposite ends of Alex's couch with Indiana Jones playing in the background ("For old time's sake," Alex had said with a laugh when she insisted they watch it). Piper had wedged herself into the corner of one end of the couch, angling herself somewhere between facing the TV and Alex. One of her legs was tucked up under her while the other stretched out onto the coffee table. Alex sat at the other end of the couch, both legs propped on the coffee table in front of her. A bowl of popcorn rested on the cushion between them.

Alex sighed, seeming to have expected this topic of conversation to come up. She rolled her head back and to the side seeking Piper's gaze. She looked directly into Piper's bright blue eyes and said, "It's not a rumor."

Piper huffed, seemingly offended and said, "Well why didn't you tell me? I practically insisted to Polly that it wasn't true, because if it was I'd definitely know!"

Alex barked out an incredulous laugh. "What makes you think _you'd_ know?"

Piper stuttered. She could tell by Alex's tone that the question wasn't meant to be hurtful; Alex was truly curious about the answer, but somehow it still hurt. "I don't know," she started sarcastically, "maybe because we used to be best friends and tell each other everything?"

Alex snorted and said dismissively, "We haven't been best friends, or even just friends, in years."

Piper felt like she had been smacked. She stood quickly from the sofa and began gathering her things from around the living room. "Oh, excuse me. I thought _this,_ " she gestured around the room to Alex, the popcorn, and the television still playing the movie, "was friendship. I thought confiding in you about what happened with Mendez was friendship. I thought eating lunch together and hanging out the past few weekends was friendship. Guess I was wrong."

Alex stared openmouthed at Piper's outburst with shock and also a hint of amusement playing across her features. The fact that Alex was amused by this only fueled Piper's annoyance and she began stomping toward the front door.

"Piper, wait." Alex hopped up from the couch and grabbed Piper's hand before she could open the door. Piper immediately pulled her hand from Alex's grasp, but spun around to face the dark haired girl. She took a deep breath and looked at Alex expectantly. "Look, I'm sorry. Can we talk about this? I didn't realize you were upset."

Piper crossed her arms over her chest, but her face softened a bit. She didn't say anything, but she didn't leave either, so Alex continued. "I didn't mean to imply that we aren't friends; we _are_."

She sat back down on the couch and patted the space next to her, grinning up at Piper with that stupid cocky smirk. Piper tried to hold back her own smile, but couldn't. She caved in and sat beside Alex on the couch. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you that I'm gay. It's not exactly an easy conversation to just bring up," Alex told her honestly.

Piper nodded. She knew Alex's reasoning made sense. Her temper had gotten the better of her when she realized that other people knew an important detail about Alex before she did. She wanted to be the person Alex trusted and confided in, and the fact that she wasn't made the blonde unreasonably upset.

Piper's silence was making Alex nervous. She averted her eyes and said, "You don't have a problem with it, do you?"

Piper's response was instantaneous. "No, of course not, Alex. I think love is love and it's nobody else's business who someone wants to be with. I'm not upset about that. I know we have only recently become friends again, but I've already come to think of you as one of my _best_ friends. That's why it made me so upset when you said we weren't friends before. I am so happy that you're in my life again. I just, I don't know, wish you would have confided in me before telling the entire school. I mean, I had to find out from _Polly_."

Alex sighed. "I really am sorry about that, Pipes. I should have told you. I guess I just thought it would be easier for me if you found out this way. I mean, I'm finally to the point where I'm happy with who I am, but a lot of people aren't so accepting. I didn't think I could take it if I told you I was gay and you decided you didn't want me in your life anymore because of that."

Piper let that sink in. She felt butterflies in her stomach at the thought that Alex obviously valued her friendship as much as Piper valued Alex's. All her anger gone after finally understanding fully where Alex was coming from, Piper said, "I'm sorry you have to worry about shit like that."

Alex shrugged, "That's just life, I guess."

Piper relaxed against the arm of the couch stretching her long legs along the edge of the sofa. She poked Alex in the hip with her toe and said, "Why'd you decide to come out now?"

Again Alex shrugged. Piper couldn't place the look on her face. She looked bashful, almost guilty. Then she said, "I don't know. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. I was mostly just tired of having to hide a big part of who I am. It's my last year in this shithole of a school, so I figured if people give me shit for it, I'd only have to deal for a year and then I'd never have to see the assholes again."

Piper's eyes widened as a new realization struck her. "You didn't… You didn't decide to come out now because of…" She trailed off, not really knowing how to phrase the question without coming across as completely self-centered.

"Don't be stupid, Piper." Alex said with a soft chuckle, somehow making an offensive statement sound almost affectionate. "I didn't do it for you."

"But the timing and everything… I hung out with Polly last night, and she said it was all Jessica could talk about and that she thought I'd be off the hook now." Piper seemed to be trying to puzzle it all together.

Alex's tone was firm, insistent. "If my coming out shifts Jessica's focus from you to me, it's just a fortunate, yet completely unintentional consequence. I did this for me."

Piper nodded, not wanting to push the issue further, yet she couldn't stop thinking about how coincidental this all seemed. They were silent for a moment, both turning back to face the movie though neither were really paying attention.

After a few minutes Piper said with a laugh, "Didn't you date that guy Joel Luschek a few years ago?"

Alex groaned and buried her face in her hands, "Ugh, don't remind me!"

Piper laughed and said, "What was that all about?" Then in playful mock accusation, "Was he your beard?!"

Alex laughed heartily while Piper smiled smugly. When Alex noticed the smile, she hit Piper in the face with a throw pillow.

When their laughter finally died down, Piper asked more seriously, "Are you nervous about what people will say? Or what Jessica will do?"

"A little, I guess. It's nothing I can't handle, though. I've been through it all before, you know?"

Piper chuckled slightly and said, "Only now I'm pretty sure Jessica is afraid of _you_!"

Alex smiled mischievously, "As she should be."

:||:

After the first day of fourth grade, Piper had immediately fastened her roller skates on and headed over to Alex's apartment wanting to swap stories of their first days. Alex was starting middle school in a new school district where she didn't know anybody, and Piper knew her friend had been nervous.

When she arrived at Alex's, her friend was hunched over a book on the front stairs of her apartment building.

"Alex!" She waved excitedly as she approached.

Alex glanced up from the book, surprised. Piper noticed how she quickly swiped at her eyes, causing her glasses to rise up slightly and press against her forehead.

Piper skated right into the railing of the steps in order to clumsily stop her momentum. She quickly unlatched her skates and propped them at the bottom of the stairs. Her socked feet gently thudded on the concrete steps as she bounded to the top and took a seat next to her older friend.

"What are you doing here, Piper?" Alex didn't sound happy to see her, which threw Piper a bit.

"I wanted to see how your first day went, silly." Piper smiled and waited for Alex to look at her.

When Alex finally did, Piper was met with red-rimmed, shining green eyes. "It was fine," Alex said tersely, but Piper could see the tears beginning to form.

Piper laid her hand gently, hesitantly, on Alex's shoulder and whispered, "Are you okay, Al? Did something happen?"

Alex was trying to be tough; she didn't want Piper to think she was weak. Alex didn't want to tell Piper how everyone else saw her, in case she, too, realized that Alex was just a poor bum not worthy of her friendship.

She tried to be strong, but Piper's hand on her shoulder was so comforting and her wide blue eyes were shining with concern. They looked wet, like Piper was prematurely experiencing sympathy tears for her friend's bad day.

"They all made fun of me," Alex choked out in despair. A single tear fell from her eye. Piper was quick to wipe it away for her. "They said I dress like a bum and called me pigsty. They made fun of my shoes." Her voice had risen with anger as more tears fell. She messily wiped them away.

Piper didn't know what to say. She had noticed that Alex dressed differently from her, but she had always thought it was just Alex's own personal sense of style. Piper liked that Alex was different from her other friends; it was refreshing and exciting. Alex was cool.

Alex took a deep breath in and began to furiously untie her shoes. She ripped them off her feet and hurled them as far as she could from the top of the staircase.

The two girls sat in silence, while Piper tried to think of ways to comfort Alex.

The next morning, Piper got up earlier than usual. She hurriedly got ready for school, then left for the bus stop ten minutes early, her back pack bulging.

"Have a good day, Piper!" Her mother had called as the door slammed behind her.

Piper did not go straight to the bus stop. Instead, she hopped on her bike and pedaled the familiar route to Alex's apartment complex.

Alex was dreading the second day of middle school. She wasn't ready for another day filled with Jessica Wedge and her teasing. Her mom had told her to ignore them and they'd eventually grow bored and leave her alone. Alex thought that was easier said than done.

She begged her mom to wait until the last possible minute before leaving for school, but eventually Diane ushered her out the door.

"What's this?" Diane said as she opened the door. Alex peaked around her and couldn't help the surprised, yet pleased, smile that graced her face.

There, sitting on the front mat, were a pair of brand-named tennis shoes and a note that simply said: _For Alex. Love, Piper._

No amount of teasing could ruin Alex's mood that day.

:||:

On Wednesday evening, Piper sat in her room doing homework; however, she was finding it hard to concentrate. Her mind kept wondering to thoughts of Alex and how her week was going. She hadn't seen the older girl since the previous weekend when she had come out to the entire school. She wondered how Alex was fairing, how everyone was treating her following the revelation.

Deciding to take a break (since she wasn't getting much done anyway), she unlocked her phone and opened her text conversation with Alex.

To Alex (6:45pm): Hey you :)

She wondered briefly if that sounded too flirty. She hit send anyway. Admittedly, the feelings she'd been having for Alex only increased ten-fold since she had announced that she was only into girls. Piper couldn't keep thoughts from entering her head that told her she actually stood a chance with the dark haired girl. The only problem was, Piper and Alex were friends, and Piper didn't know if Alex thought of her as anything more than that.

Piper had always been a girl who knew what she wanted and went after it relentlessly. If Alex had been a boy, this would be easy-peasy. But Alex was a girl, and Piper had never pursued a woman before. She wasn't sure exactly how to go about it, but she would try her hardest regardless. She just had to be cautious, because she knew if things went wrong, their friendship was on the line – and Piper didn't have many friends at the moment. If she drove Alex out of her life, she realized she'd have a lot of free time on her hands. The two of them had been spending quite a bit of time together lately.

From Alex (6:47pm): Hey Pipes :)

From Alex (6:47pm): What's up?

To Alex (6:48pm): I was just doing some homework and decided to take a break. I thought of you and realized we haven't talked in a while so I decided to text you :)

From Alex (6:49pm): Oh yeah? And what exactly were you thinking about me? ;)

Piper blushed. Alex always knew how to get her flustered. Piper thought for a minute, not sure if she should continue with the flirtatious banter. She knew that Alex just liked to tease, and she shouldn't let any of her comments give her a false sense of hope if there wasn't one. She must have taken too long to decide, because her phone buzzed with a new message from Alex.

From Alex (6:54pm): I'm just messing with you, Piper. Seriously, what's up?

To Alex (6:54pm): I was just wondering how things at school are. How is everyone treating you since you came out?

From Alex (6:55pm): It hasn't been too bad actually. Our school is surprisingly open minded, I guess.

From Alex (6:55pm): Either that or everyone is just scared of me ;p

Piper smirked at the goofy tongue-out emoji Alex had used. She moved from her desk to her bed to continue her conversation with Alex.

To Alex (6:56pm): I think it's definitely that one. You are pretty scary.

To Alex (6:56pm): I'm glad no one is treating you badly, though.

To Alex (6:57pm): Because if there was, I'd have to kick their ass. :D

From Alex (6:58pm): I'm so glad I have you to defend my honor. Come to think of it, there are a few Jesus freaks who've been giving me more shit than usual. I'd love to watch you kick their asses for me.

To Alex (6:59pm): Seriously, Alex?

From Alex (7:02pm): It's nothing I can't handle, Pipes. But thanks for checking in on me.

From Alex (7:02pm): Things are really okay; I don't regret my decision to come out.

From Alex (7:03pm): In fact…

From Alex (7:03pm): I'm pretty sure Sylvia Porter has been flirting with me all week

Piper dropped her phone and it landed directly on her face. "Shit!" She exclaimed.

Well, she hadn't been expecting _that_. For some reason she hadn't thought about other girls being into Alex; she hadn't realized she'd have competition. She picked her phone up off her bed, where it had slid down off her face, and held it up once again over her prone body. She squinted up at the screen.

To Alex (7:04pm): Oh. Do you like her?

From Alex (7:06pm): I don't know. I don't really know her; we've never talked before. She's hot, though. ;)

From Alex (7:06pm): She's never shown an interest in me before, so I wonder if she's just curious to get to know me now that I'm out. There's not really a whole lot of dating options at Litchfield if you're gay, you know?

Piper felt sick to her stomach. She didn't want Alex to date anyone else, but she also didn't know if she was ready to risk their friendship to put her feelings on the line. Luckily, it seemed like Alex wasn't head over heels for this Sylvia girl, yet; Piper thought her texts made it sound like she was more curious than anything else. Piper had some serious thinking to do, but she definitely knew she _did not_ want to talk to Alex about Sylvia any longer.

To Alex (7:07pm): I guess that's true. Anyway, I should probably get back to my homework.

From Alex (7:08pm): Okay. Sweet dreams, Pipes. I'll talk to you later this week.

To Alex (7:09pm): Good night, Alex.

:||:

After what Alex had told her on Wednesday, Piper shouldn't have been so surprised to see Sylvia hanging around Alex's locker on Friday. But she was, and not just surprised; she was insanely, irrationally jealous.

Piper watched as Sylvia leaned her hip against the locker next to Alex's as Alex dug around in her own locker for the book she needed for her next class. Alex paused in her exploration to make eye contact with Sylvia, laughing at something the brunette had said to her. Piper's temper flared as Sylvia reached forward and twirled a strand of Alex's blue-streaked hair between her fingers.

Before she even really knew what she was doing, Piper was marching purposefully toward the pair of girls.

"Hey, Alex," She said with a forced smile, wedging herself in between the two girls, her back to Sylvia blatantly ignoring her. She had to practice a great deal of self-control not to put a possessive arm around the darker haired girl's waist.

Alex looked shocked and confused and maybe even a little irritated. Piper's smile faltered. "Hi, Piper?" Alex's eyes traveled between Piper's and Sylvia's. "What's up?" She drew out the words, clearly confused and embarrassed by Piper's untimely interruption of her conversation with Sylvia.

Piper immediately faltered as her jealously slowly faded and embarrassment grew in its place. "Oh! I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out tonight?" Piper said awkwardly.

Alex still seemed a bit tentative as she answered Piper, aware that the interaction was quite awkward. "I can't. I actually have plans with Sylvie tonight," Alex said, nodding toward the girl in question, who side-stepped around Piper to stand next to the younger girl.

"Oh!" Piper feigned surprise, attempting to cover up her jealousy toward _Sylvie_. "I am _so_ sorry! I didn't realize I was interrupting something." She began to back away as her cheeks grew red.

"Wait, Pipes!" Alex called, feeling bad for dismissing her friend. Piper paused. "How about tomorrow?"

Piper forced an uneasy smile and said, "Sure! Sounds great!" She turned and practically sprinted to her next class.

Piper sat in fourth period Geometry scolding herself. What had she been thinking? (To be honest she hadn't been thinking. She had been blinded by jealousy). Alex wasn't hers. She had to get that through her head. Piper frowned. Alex had obviously not appreciated Piper's interruption. Maybe Alex truly wanted to explore things with Sylvia, and if that were the case, Piper would be a good, supportive friend.

"Hi, Piper," Larry said as he sat in the seat next to her.

"Hi, Larry!" She said, shooting him a genuine smile.

They joked and worked together throughout class, and then walked together to the cafeteria for lunch. Piper was tentatively back in with the popular group, so she had been eating lunch at her usual table all week. Jessica still didn't acknowledge her much, but most of her friends were treating her normally again. She stuck close to Polly and Lorna Morello, who was another good friend of theirs.

Before they parted ways to head to their respective lunch spots, Larry clumsily stopped Piper by grabbing her hand.

"Um, Piper. I was wondering if you wanted to maybe go see a movie tonight?" Larry was shy and it was clear that he felt hopeful, yet embarrassed to be asking her out. Piper thought it was actually pretty adorable.

And whether it was to spite Alex or an attempt to get over her feelings for the other girl, she answered yes to Larry.

:||:

For the most part, Piper had fun on her date with Larry. He really was a nice guy, and what had started out a few weeks ago between them as awkward conversation had progressed into easy banter the more Larry got comfortable with Piper. Piper just assumed Larry wasn't used to conversing with someone from the popular crowd and probably felt slightly intimidated around her, so she made a conscious effort to make Larry feel at ease in her presence.

It must have worked, because during the movie, she felt Larry clumsily take her hand and link their fingers together. And even though his hands were sweaty and Piper had not been able to think of anything but Alex all night, she let him. She imagined how Alex's hand would feel holding hers instead. Smooth and dry, not at all clammy, with a firm grip.

She sighed. She had it bad.

After the movie, Larry drove her home. He walked her to her front door (She had hoped he wouldn't) and loosely gripped her hand in his. "I had a lot of fun tonight, Piper. I hope you did, too."

"I did, too, Larry," Piper said softly. She watched as Larry tilted his head slightly as he began to lean in for a kiss.

And then something unexpected happened. Piper froze. Her heart began to beat erratically and she felt her hands start to sweat. Images of Mendez forcing himself on her flashed through her mind.

As Larry's lips met hers, she was reminded of Mendez's rough, demanding kisses. She choked back a sob and forced herself to remain still. _This is Larry_ she chanted in her head.

Piper pulled away quickly, hoping to keep her emotions in check until Larry was out of sight. She forced a smile, though she felt like vomiting.

"Good night, Piper," Larry said with a dazed smile as he walked back to his car.

Piper raced up the stairs to her room and flung herself onto her bed, sobs wracking her body. _What the hell was that?_ Piper shouted at herself in her head. She had thought she was over everything that had happened.

Piper curled under the covers of her bed and reached for her phone. Her only thought was that she needed to call Alex.

The phone rang and rang, but eventually went to voicemail. Piper sobbed harder. She thought maybe she was hyperventilating. She dialed again.

"You had better have a good excuse for interrupting my date, kid." Alex's teasing voice immediately began to calm Piper's racing heart and erratic breathing, but she only sobbed harder reminded of the fact that Alex was still on her date.

"Piper? What's wrong? Are you okay?" The concern in Alex's voice was clear.

"I'm so sorry, Alex," Piper choked out. "I forgot you were on a date, and I don't want to interrupt."

"Sylvia's in the bathroom right now. Talk to me, Pipes. What's wrong?"

Piper took a few deep breaths. Her voice was still wavering, but mostly under control. "It's okay. I'm okay, now. I just wanted to hear your voice. We can talk about it tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your night." Piper hung up without giving Alex the chance to respond.

Her phone buzzed about 10 minutes later, and Piper hoped it was Alex saying she had ditched Sylvia and was on her way to Piper's house.

It was just Larry, though, saying he had had a good time tonight. Piper didn't respond and drifted off into a light sleep.

She was awoken thirty minutes later to another buzz from her phone. This time it was Alex.

From Alex (10:15pm): Hey, Pipes. I just got home if you want to call me. I'm worried about you.

Piper didn't waste much time. She dialed Alex's number immediately.

"Hey, kid," Alex answered softly, "You wanna tell me what's wrong?"

So Piper told her everything.

:||:

The next day Piper felt back to her normal self. Talking with Alex about her minor freak out over Larry's kiss had helped her take a step back from the situation and gain some perspective, and she had been calm enough by the time they hung up to get a good night's sleep.

By the time afternoon rolled around, she wasn't even thinking about Larry or Mendez; she was just happy that she'd get to see Alex soon. Piper had texted the darker-haired girl earlier that morning to pitch the idea of a pool day. Piper's family had a nice in ground pool that they would be closing up for winter soon, and Piper wanted to get one last good pool day in before that (And also the thought of Alex in a bathing suit was rather appealing).

Alex arrived around three and met Piper at the pool. The blonde had been sunning herself for the past few hours, hoping to give her tan one last boost before the winter months came and her paleness set in.

As Alex approached her, Piper stretched and arched her back on the lounge chair. She couldn't suppress a delighted smile as Alex's gaze wondered over every inch of Piper's toned, bikini-clad body. She basked in Alex's appreciative look for a moment, feeling warmth build low in her belly, before breaking the spell with a dramatic yawn. She smirked as Alex's eyes met hers and said, "Hey, Alex."

Alex knew she had been caught staring, but she hid her embarrassment well. Piper could see a faint tinge of pink on the older girl's cheeks; however, Alex held her gaze unwaveringly and smiled back. "Hey, Pipes." She didn't break their eye contact as her fingers reached for the bottom of her own tank top and tugged it over her head, letting it fall to the concrete. Her cut off jean shorts followed shortly after, and it was Piper's turn to gawk. She let her eyes roam unabashedly over Alex's curves. She had on a black low cut one-piece swim suit that showed off ample cleavage.

Alex eventually cleared her throat, breaking Piper's stare. Piper wasn't as good as Alex was about controlling her embarrassment and her cheeks heated up almost immediately. But Alex didn't seem bothered by Piper's blatant checking her out; in fact, the older girl was wearing a self-satisfied smirk. The smirk that made Piper's heart rate pick up and her knees feel weak. "You wanna get in?" Alex asked.

"Huh?" Piper asked dumbly and Alex gestured to the pool. "Oh, the water's actually pretty cold."

Alex frowned. "Are you fucking kidding me? Piperrrrrr," she whined, "you invited me over to swim and you're not even going to get in the water with me?"

Piper smiled and shook her head 'no' playfully. "I'm trying to get as much of a tan as I can before it's too cold and I go back to being all pasty."

Alex chuckled and placed her hands on her hips, "You know, a few weeks ago you made it a point to tell me that cigarettes can cause cancer."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Tanning can lead to skin cancer," Piper said in a bored tone. At Alex's disapproving look she continued with a laugh, "Don't worry, _Mom,_ I put some sunscreen on."

Alex shook her head and rolled her eyes, "What SPF 15? You should put some of this on." Alex produced a large tube of SPF 50 from her bag. Piper watched entranced as Alex began to rub it all over her body; her eyes following the paths Alex made with her hands. Piper was aware that Alex knew she was watching, but she didn't care; she wanted Alex to know that she found her attractive. The fact that Alex didn't seem to mind (in fact, she seemed to relish Piper's eyes on her body), only fueled Piper's confidence.

"Hey. Can you put some of this on my back?" Alex asked with a close-lipped smile and an eyebrow raise.

"Sure," Piper said, sitting up in her lounge chair and holding out her hand for the sunblock. She scooted to the edge of the chair and motioned for Alex to sit in front of her, in between her legs. Alex only raised her eyebrow in response before sitting on the open space in front of Piper.

Piper took her time as she rubbed the lotion onto Alex's exposed back and shoulder blades. She ran her fingers up the back of Alex's neck, underneath her messy ponytail. She couldn't help but appreciate how soft and smooth her friend's skin felt beneath her fingertips. Alex's skin was a milky, flawless pale, reminding Piper of a porcelain doll. While she preferred her own skin to have a sun-kissed look, she thought pale really suited Alex.

As she finished, she ran her hands lightly down Alex's arms. She felt Alex shiver slightly at her touch, and assumed that is what possessed her to wrap her arms around Alex's front and rest her chin on Alex's shoulder in a loose hug. Alex brought her own hands up to grasp Piper's forearms in reciprocation. After a moment, Piper pulled away. Alex turned her head slightly to look at her and said softly, "What was that for?"

Piper was quiet for a minute. She said, "For listening to me last night. I hope I didn't ruin your night."

"Of course not, Piper. You're my friend and you can call me whenever you want to, okay? I'm glad you called; I was worried about you." Alex took her hand and Piper grinned.

"Come on," Piper said, giving in. "Let's get in the pool."

They spent the afternoon alternating between swimming and laying in the sun. The afternoon was filled with playful, flirtatious banter and lingering touches, borderlining on intimate. Piper hadn't felt this happy in a long time.

They made sandwiches for dinner and played a card game with Piper's younger brother Cal while they ate. Afterward, Cal went to a friend's house, and Piper and Alex ended up sprawled out in their swimsuits on Piper's trampoline, watching the sunset.

They were laying side by side in comfortable silence occasionally making idle chit chat, enjoying one of the last warm nights of the year.

"Hey, Alex?" Alex turned her head to the side to look at Piper.

"Hmm?"

Piper continued, somewhat nervously. "How did you know that you were a lesbian?"

Alex thought about it for a second, then said, "In elementary and middle school, when girls began gushing over boys, I didn't. I thought eventually I would start liking boys, but that never happened. Instead, I realized I was noticing other girls in the same way those girls were noticing boys."

"But was there an exact moment when you just knew?" Piper asked into the sky, not turning to look at Alex.

Alex seemed hesitant to answer, but Piper waited patiently. After a few minutes, Alex sighed seemingly giving in. "Do you remember that sleepover we had at your house right after Polly moved onto your street?"

Piper nodded. That had been the summer before she started middle school.

:||:

Alex did not want to be here. The night had barely begun and she was already miserable, listening to Piper and Polly gush about all the cute boys in their class. Polly had just moved into the neighborhood and would be joining Piper's seventh grade class in the Fall. Piper was sat at her vanity, while Polly gave her a makeover. Alex was sitting on the opposite side of the room painting her fingernails black.

She listened as Polly asked Piper about all the hot boys in their grade and Piper discussed each one in detail. She even pulled out her yearbook from last year so that Polly could see pictures. Alex rolled her eyes at the girls' antics. She didn't want to admit that she was jealous of how quickly Piper and Polly had become friends; how she was worried Polly would replace her as Piper's best friend.

Alex wasn't oblivious. She could see how Piper and Polly had so much more in common than Alex had with Piper. Alex never wanted to talk about boys, or let Piper do her makeup, or play dress up. Alex just wasn't into those girly type things, but it definitely seemed like Polly was. So Alex was kind of grumpy, because she could tell things were changing.

It was late by the time the girls had finished with their makeovers. Alex had even let them do hers, giving into Piper's pleading. She hated to admit that she would do anything to see her blonde friend smile.

"What should we do next?" Piper asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Alex knew she was excited about having her two best friends sleep over. Polly and Alex had hung out a few times, but Piper wished they would bond so that she didn't have to keep splitting her time between them.

Polly's smile turned mischievous. "Truth or dare?"

Alex groaned at the same time Piper squealed, "Yes!"

"Piper, do you have a flashlight?" Polly asked. As Piper left to look for one, Polly told Alex to sit cross-legged on Piper's bed. Alex rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. When Piper returned, Polly switched on the flashlight and turned off the lights in Piper's room. She joined the other two girls on Piper's bed, tented under the canopy. She placed the flashlight in a cup on the bed in the middle of their circle.

Polly began the game. They played a few rounds, most of the questions and dares tame in nature. As Polly began to get more comfortable, she turned to Piper as asked, "Pipe, truth or dare?"

"Truth," Piper answered automatically. Dares made her nervous.

Polly got a glint in her eye and asked, "Have you had your first kiss, yet?"

Piper blushed and looked down at her hands. A few of her friends from school had been kissed, but she still hadn't. "No."

Piper returned the same question to Polly, when she also chose truth. Polly laughed and said, "Lots of times! At my old school, one of my friends used to have these boy-girl parties and we would all go down to the creek behind her house and make out. It was really fun."

Alex frowned at the look of admiration Piper was giving to her new friend. Alex could tell that Piper was excited by how experienced Polly was and that she looked up to her.

"Alright," Polly continued with the game, "Alex, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Alex said with a roll of her eyes. She doubted Polly could think up anything good, anyway.

Without even missing a beat, Polly said, "I dare you to kiss Piper."

Alex's eyes widened in surprise and her heart rate sped up. She felt color rush into her cheeks.

"What? No," Piper said quickly, panicked. "It's wrong for girls to kiss other girls." Alex was sort of surprised at the disappointment she felt at Piper's rejection. It was just a kiss, after all; and they were friends. But Alex knew that Piper cared a great deal for following the rules, playing things safe, and not doing anything that would displease others.

Polly laughed, "No it's not. Friends kiss all the time to practice for the real thing. Don't you want to know what you're doing the first time a boy tries to kiss you?"

Piper frowned, her eyebrows knitting together. "No, I don't think I should," She said looking to Alex, who tried to cover her hurt feelings. "I'm sorry."

Polly rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Don't be a baby, Piper. It's just a kiss, and Alex has to do it because it was a dare."

Piper was distressed, and Alex could see the battle going on in her head. She wanted to look cool for Polly, but she was uncomfortable with the idea of doing something she thought was wrong.

Piper shrugged and said resignedly, "Fine." She looked at Alex and waited for the older girl to make a move.

Alex sighed and shook her head, hating to see her friend upset. She looked at Polly, who was watching them closely, then leaned in and brushed her lips softly against Piper's cheek.

She pulled back and looked challengingly at Polly. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Done."

"That's totally cheating!" Polly exclaimed.

"No, it's not. You dared me to kiss Piper, but you didn't say it had to be on the lips." Alex said this with such a tone of authority, that even Polly didn't argue. "Now, let's do something else. This game is lame."

Much later that night, after Polly had fallen asleep, Piper took Alex's hand in hers and whispered, "Thanks, Alex."

:||:

"I never wanted to kiss boys, but that night, I really wanted to kiss you." Alex confessed. "I'm pretty sure that was when I realized I had a huge crush on you, Pipes; and I knew I wasn't at all interested in boys."

Piper laid still, letting Alex's revelation sink in. She had so many thoughts running through her head, but the one she kept lingering on was if Alex could possibly still feel that way about her. Piper knew her own feelings for Alex, and she recognized that Alex flirted with her, and looked at her as though she found her attractive. She also knew that Alex was a flirtatious person, so the main question running through Piper's mind was, did Alex somehow treat her differently? After their day at the pool, she had grown more confident that the answer was yes; that Alex was attracted to her. And now, after Alex's confession, Piper felt butterflies low in her tummy.

She managed to draw up all the confidence she had, deciding that exploring whatever this was between them was worth the risk, and rolled her body so that she was positioned over Alex's prone form. Her knees were on either side of Alex's hips, her elbows pressed into the trampoline at each of Alex's ears, her face hovered inches above Alex's.

Alex's eyes widened in surprise, then darkened with desire. Piper's eyes flicked to Alex's plump lips then back to her eyes.

Piper whispered, "Alex, I dare you to kiss me."

Alex took a sharp intake of breath at Piper's words. She still hadn't moved a muscle, and Piper noticed that even though Alex was clearly turned on, she seemed cautious. Piper wondered if maybe she was thinking about how not even 24 hours ago, Piper had freaked out when Larry had kissed her. Somehow, Piper knew this would be different. At that moment, she wanted to kiss Alex more than anything.

Piper's tongue darted out to wet her lips, and she dipped her head the slightest bit toward Alex. She really wanted it to be Alex who closed the final distance between them, to reassure her that her feelings were reciprocated.

And that seemed to be all it took for the older girl's hesitation to dissolve. Alex lifted her head from the trampoline, pressing her lips softly to Piper's. Her hands raised up to grip Piper's waist, as Alex moved her lips gently against Piper's. The kiss was impossibly slow and tender, filled with affection. Piper knew the dark haired girl was testing the waters, really wanting to make sure this was alright; that Piper really wanted this. And Piper did.

While the kiss was sweet, Piper wanted more. She had also been cautious at first, hoping that images of Mendez would not invade her mind as they had done the previous night. However, every little detail reminded her that this was _Alex_ she was kissing and no one else. Piper deepened the kiss, running her tongue experimentally along Alex's bottom lip, and as Alex granted her access to her mouth, Piper inhaled deeply through her nose. Alex's distinctive scent flooded her nostrils, causing Piper's eyelids to flutter. Piper tangled her fingers into Alex's long, silky tresses, tugging lightly. Alex moaned softly at the sensation, and Piper felt the vibration against her lips. Alex invaded her senses.

Alex eventually pulled back, and whispered, "Are you okay?"

Piper just nodded before leaning down to capture Alex's mouth once again. Reassured that Piper was fine, Alex flipped them, taking control.

Piper gasped as her back hit the trampoline; the springiness bouncing her up, pressing her hips into Alex's. Piper moaned at the contact and Alex grinned. "I've never made out on a trampoline before. It's fun."

Piper hummed in agreement, impatiently pulling Alex's face back to hers. Alex pressed her body into Piper's, brushing their nipples together through the thin fabric of their swimsuits and pressing her thigh in between Piper's legs. Piper threw her head back at the contact, arching her back and pressing herself more fully against Alex.

Alex felt Piper's arousal against her thigh. She began to slow the kiss, running her fingers comfortingly up and down Piper's sides, slowly calming the younger girl. Alex softly broke their kiss, immediately returning to Piper's swollen lips to press peck after peck there. She trailed her lips down Piper's neck, sucking softly at her pulse point. Piper's hands, which had been gripping Alex's hips, ran up Alex's back. She settled them loosely around Alex's neck, as Alex continued to pepper light kisses along Piper's collarbone and neck. With both their breathing returning to normal, Alex pressed one final kiss to Piper's nose eliciting a giggle from the blonde. She then pulled completely away, rolling onto her back beside Piper. She twined their fingers together in the space between them.

Piper sighed softly, turning to press her face into Alex's arm.

 **A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! If so, please consider leaving a review! I love to hear what you guys think!**

 **Thanks again to everyone who has read/reviewed/favorited/followed this story! It means a lot to me!**


	4. Part IV

**A/N: The final part is here! :)**

 **Thank you guys for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! You are all amazing!**

 **I feel like I should probably address one thing before posting this chapter. I received two reviews stating that the age of the characters and their use of marijuana made the reader uncomfortable. I'm sorry you felt this way! I feel that I put clear warnings at the top of each chapter, and that is all I can really do! While I personally believe 16 and 18 year olds are too young to use marijuana, this is a work of fiction. Again, I apologize to anyone that has felt uncomfortable reading this story due to the marijuana use. Please DO NOT read if the idea of marijuana use among high-schoolers makes you uncomfortable!**

 **Warnings:**

 **1\. This story contains mentions of and discussions of rape (not in great detail, but it is central to the plot of this story). If this is triggering to you or will upset you to read about, please do not read this story!**

 **2\. This story also contains and depicts the use of marijuana. Again, if this offends or upsets you, please do not read this story!**

 **I hope you enjoy the final part of** _ **After the Storm**_ **!**

After the Storm IV

:||:

Piper breathed steadily in and out, the rhythm of her short breaths matching the pace of her feet as they thumped gently against the compacted dirt path. She allowed the muscles in her legs to propel her through the course, her heart pounding hard in her chest. Piper loved running; it served as her escape. A slight burning in her lungs, the wind against her face and in her hair, the strength of her legs, and the steady beating of her heart reminded her that she was alive. Running made her _feel_ alive.

Whether it was the peaceful solitude or the way her body moved automatically without any conscious thought, Piper's mind cleared of all excess thoughts while she ran. Running was great for problem solving, because she was able to really focus in and concentrate on any one specific topic. She hadn't faced a problem yet she hadn't been able to solve during a good run.

Today, her mind seemed to decide the topic of its focus was one, Alex Vause. It was Tuesday, and Piper hadn't seen Alex since they had kissed on Saturday. They had texted a bit, but not much (Piper had come to realize that Alex wasn't really big on texting; she much preferred just talking in person), and both of them had avoided discussing the moment they had shared.

She knew she had thoroughly enjoyed kissing Alex and at the time she felt the older girl had reciprocated her feelings. Alex certainly seemed to enjoy the kiss just as much as Piper. But Alex hadn't brought it up, which left Piper confused and worried. Perhaps the darker haired girl thought kissing Piper was a mistake and that risking their friendship to be more than friends wasn't worth it. Piper wasn't sure where they stood with each other and it was messing with her head.

She was also annoyed by the fact that Alex had finally texted her earlier in the day asking if they wanted to do homework together that evening, but Piper had had to decline due to the cross country meet she was currently taking part in. They would have finally had the chance to talk about things and put Piper's mind at ease, but Piper couldn't make it due to a dumb school sport.

(Okay, Piper didn't think cross country was dumb; she loved it. But she was annoyed with it since it was keeping her from spending time with Alex.)

And what about Sylvia? Was Alex still into her? What if Alex preferred Sylvia to Piper? Thoughts of Sylvia and Alex flooded her mind, causing jealousy to rush through Piper's body, spurring her on. Piper picked up speed. She was coming up on a runner from the other team, near the edge of the forested area they were presently navigating through. Piper had run this course before and knew that once she cleared the forest, there was just a long stretch through an open field with the finish line waiting on the other side.

As Piper began to pass the other girl, she realized too late that the girl had stuck her foot out to the side, effectively causing Piper to trip and face-plant onto the ground.

"What the _fuck_?!" Piper managed as the girl sneered and continued running.

Piper picked herself up and tested her weight on her ankles. There didn't seem to be any damage, so Piper continued running, determined to beat the bitch that tripped her to the finish line.

She let thoughts of being tripped and thoughts of Alex and Sylvia alternate in her mind as anger and jealousy fueled her movements. She gained speed, the other girl not too far ahead of her and the finish line a little further out. Piper was practically sprinting by the time she passed the other girl, and didn't slow down as she flew through the finish line.

Her coach was waiting for her with a bottle of water, which she gladly took and gulped down. She set the bottle onto the grass, and bent over at the waist, her hands on her knees while she panted, attempting to return her breathing to normal.

She fired a cocky smirk to the girl who tripped her as she cleared the finish line moments later.

Piper heard the girl mutter, "Preppy bitch," under her breath as she passed Piper on her way to her own coach. She fought down the urge to hurl a rebuttal at the other girl, because to Piper, beating her to the finish line was the worst insult of all.

"Great job, Piper!" Her coach said, clapping her on the shoulder as more of Piper's teammates flooded through the finish line. She left Piper to meet the others, making sure that everyone had water.

Her teammates scattered to meet with their parents and other family members and friends who had come to support them by watching the meet. Piper stood alone, catching her breath and watching as the other runners crossed the finish line. Her own parents rarely came to a meet; they weren't exactly the definition of involved. While sometimes that saddened Piper (like when all her friends were being hugged and congratulated after a meet), for the most part, Piper was happy they weren't around. It gave her a sense of independence other kids her age hadn't yet achieved.

"Hey, Piper!" She heard someone shout. She looked around and saw it was her teammate Janae. She began walking towards the other girl, who was standing near the sidelines where the spectators sat. As she neared, Janae continued to shout, "Your girlfriend's here!"

Piper blanched. Her eyes found Alex and Nicky sitting not far from Janae, and Piper could tell by the strange look on Alex's face that she had definitely heard what Janae had said. Piper panicked, not wanting Alex to think that she was telling everyone the two of them were dating, when they hadn't even discussed or put a name to whatever it is they were.

"Oh. She's not my girlfriend," Piper said adamantly to Janae as her face heated up. "We're just friends." Piper had continued walking forward toward Janae, Alex, and Nicky until she was close enough to all three to have a conversation at a normal volume.

"My bad. I know you guys hang out a lot, and I just assumed. I'll see you later, Piper. Great race!" Janae said, practically running from the awkwardness she had created.

Piper looked at Alex. She hoped Alex didn't think she was clingy or jumping to conclusions about their relationship. Alex's face was stoic, though, and didn't give anything away.

The three stood uncomfortably for a moment before Nicky broke the silence, "Hey, great job out there, Chapman!" She threw her arm around the younger girl's shoulders. "The way these races are set up we don't get to see much, but you killed it on that last sprint. That girl you passed was _so_ pissed!"

Piper smiled at the compliment, her uneasiness fading slightly. "Yeah, that bitch tripped me when we were in the forest. I wasn't about to let her beat me to the finish line after that."

Piper expected a reaction from Alex, but she remained silent, impassive. Nicky said, "Whoa, man, that's intense. Who knew _cross country_ had dirty players?"

Piper laughed, "Most sports do, don't they? Yeah, that kind of stuff happens a lot since most the course is out of view of any spectators."

Nicky nodded, her eyes landing on something behind Piper. "Hey, is that Lorna Morello?"

Piper turned to check and then confirmed to Nicky that it was. As Nicky ran off to say hi to her newest crush, Piper turned her attention to Alex.

"What are you doing here?" Piper asked shyly, hesitantly meeting Alex's bright green eyes. She hoped Alex would snap out of whatever funk she was in and return to her normal, teasing self.

Alex shrugged and said, "When you said you couldn't hang out tonight, I was bummed that I wouldn't get to see you. I talked Nicky into coming with me; we thought it'd be fun to come watch you run."

Piper blushed. Alex wanted to see her so badly that she came to school event? Piper was kind of shocked, but definitely pleased if the little butterflies in her stomach had anything to say about it.

"The big, bad Alex Vause showing her face at a school sporting event; I must be pretty special." Piper teased with a wink and a playful smile, hoping Alex would catch on to her attempt to bring some normalcy back into their interaction following Janae's comment.

"Don't get too full of yourself, Piper," Alex teased back, bumping her shoulder against Piper's. "True, you got us here; but we stayed for the view." Alex nodded with a smirk and raised eyebrow, indicating around to all the female runners in their short shorts and tank tops. Her eyes landed on one girl in particular who was currently dumping a bottle of water over her head.

"Hey now," Piper said with a laugh, stepping into Alex's line of sight, effectively blocking her view of the other girl. Her face grew serious and she said, "Anyway, I'm glad you guys came. I never have anyone here cheering for me at these things."

Alex smiled. "Of course, Pipes. You were really great, and like Nicky said, that girl's face when you passed her was priceless. From the sound of it that bitch got what she deserved."

Piper smiled with pride over Alex's praise. Nicky soon returned to them, and the three girls headed toward the parking lot. Piper relaxed, happy that things seemed to be copacetic once again.

:||:

Alex was sprawled on the couch in a pair of comfy cotton boxer shorts and an oversized t-shirt with the words The Offspring scrawled across it. Her mom sat next to her in similar attire and an open pizza box rested on the coffee table in front of them.

It was a rare evening in which Diane was not scheduled at any of her three jobs, and Alex was excited to spend the night in watching movies, eating pizza, and catching up with her best friend.

Despite her excitement to spend time with her mom, Alex was having a difficult time keeping her attention on the movie. Her mind kept wondering to Piper's cross country meet the previous evening, and the blonde's reaction to Janae's comment about Alex being her girlfriend. She had been quick to insist that Alex wasn't her girlfriend and to set the record straight (no pun intended) that they were only friends.

Alex startled as a small cold object hit her directly on the cheek. She picked the penny up off her lap and glanced curiously at her mom.

"Wanna talk about whatever it is that's distracting you from this excellent piece of cinematography?" Diane asked, clearly having picked up on Alex's uncharacteristic silence.

Alex snorted, " _Back to the Future_ is hardly an example of cinematic excellence."

Diane chuckled and said, "Maybe not, but it's one of our favorites. What's going on, kid?" Diane had been overworked lately, so Alex had not had the chance to fill her mom in on everything that had happened between her and Piper. At Alex's sigh, Diane leaned over to reach for the remote resting on the couch between them and paused the movie.

"Piper and I kissed," Alex admitted. She grabbed another slice of pizza as she waited for her mom's response.

Diane grinned, patting Alex's leg encouragingly. She said, "Well that's great, right? You've had a crush on that girl for as long as I can remember."

Alex's smile was small, bittersweet. She replied, "It was amazing. The best kiss I've ever had, and I know she thought it was great, too. But now, I don't know what she wants. I'm pretty sure she's into me, but I think she's embarrassed about it."

"What makes you say that?" Diane asked, adjusting herself on the couch to fully face her daughter.

"Nicky and I went to her cross country meet yesterday and some girl made a comment about me being her girlfriend. She looked really embarrassed, and she denied it almost immediately. She made it very clear that we are just friends." Alex was angry with herself for feeling so upset at Piper's rejection. She usually kept herself guarded enough to keep anyone from holding that kind of power over her, but Piper was different. Piper had _always_ been different. "I just feel like an idiot. I went to her _cross country_ _meet_ for godsakes! I thought she would understand what I was trying to do. I've never gone to a school sporting event in my life."

Diane picked up on Alex's sadness. If there was anyone Alex let herself be vulnerable in front of, it was her mom. Diane rubbed Alex's leg and said in that comforting tone that all moms have, "Oh, Hun. You know, if Piper does have feelings for you, it's probably very new to her. You've had a long time to figure out who you are, but Piper is probably just beginning to discover some things about herself. What happened leading up to the kiss?"

Alex filled Diane in on everything that had happened since Piper had come crashing back into her life. Once she finished, Alex sighed. "I just really like her, Mom. I don't know if I'm capable of being _only_ friends with her; I think I'll always want more."

Diane smiled at her daughter and pulled her foot into her lap, tugging gently on Alex's bare toes. "After everything you've told me, it seems like she likes you, too, Al. You said she recently went through a hard time where she was rejected and bullied by her friends? But now she's in with them again? Maybe she is just trying to lay low and not give those preppy bitches more fuel against her. I don't know, kid. I think you should tell her how you feel and give her some time to figure out what she wants."

Alex chewed on her lip as she thought over her mom's advice. If she told Piper how she felt, she would be risking their friendship; but could she even be friends with Piper knowing the way she felt about her was so much more than that?

:||:

That weekend, Piper was hoping to get to spend some time with Alex. They still hadn't talked about the kiss and what it meant, and Piper was beginning to feel worried that her feelings for Alex were one-sided. In the moment, Alex had seemed so into it, but her behavior since had led Piper to believe the opposite. Piper was confused, and at this point, she really just wanted answers, even if they were answers she wouldn't be happy about.

It was midmorning when Piper texted Alex about her plans for the weekend.

To Alex (10:21am): Hey stranger ;)

To Alex (10:21am): Wanna hang out this weekend? I miss you!

As Piper waited for a reply, she began her homework so she could get it out the way, thus freeing up the rest of her weekend. The more time that passed without a reply from Alex, the more frustrated Piper got. Because of her annoyance, she had barely made any progress on her homework two hours later when her phone finally buzzed with a reply from Alex.

From Alex (12:31pm): Sorry, Pipes, I was sleeping. I was over at Nicky's late last night. I wish I could hang out this weekend, but I took a few extra shifts at the diner.

Piper felt a rush of emotions; confusion, sadness, anger. But most of all she felt hurt. She knew Alex didn't _have_ to invite her to come to Nicky's with her, but she assumed she would have. Especially since she was working all weekend and knew that they wouldn't have any time to hang out. Maybe Alex just didn't want to spend time with Piper as much as Piper wanted to spend time with Alex. She knew that Alex had to work, but Piper couldn't help feeling rejected by the older girl. She hadn't even said she missed Piper back in her text response.

To Alex (12: 44pm): Okay. I guess I'll just see you at school on Monday. Enjoy your weekend.

Piper knew her text sounded passive aggressive, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Screw Alex and her confusing behavior and the mixed signals she was sending. Screw her for making Piper _feel_ and then not following through.

From Alex (12:51pm): My shift starts at 2 and I work til close if you wanna stop by sometime tonight. I know it's not as good as hanging out, but it'd be nice to see your face. I miss you too, kid.

Piper groaned. Seriously, screw her.

:||:

"Seriously, Piper, what is up? Jessica hasn't given you shit for a week now and things have mostly gone back to normal, so why the hell are you so moody?" Polly paused in the task of painting her nails to address Piper, who was currently sulking in Polly's desk chair.

After finding out that Alex wouldn't be able to hang out with her, Piper had texted Polly, not really wanting to spend the weekend alone, but also not in the mood to be friendly and social. And now Polly was the one suffering.

Piper sighed. She actually really wanted to talk about this to someone, and Polly was her best friend. She felt that she could trust her. "Okay, I have something really big to tell you, but you have to promise not to tell _anyone_. I mean it, Polly. Not even Pete."

Polly grew serious, "Of course, Pipe. We all know I like to gossip, but I can keep a secret if it's important; you know that."

"I know, Pol." Piper took a deep breath in. She leaned forward, and even though no one else was home but them, said in a voice just above a whisper, "Alex kissed me."

Polly was careful to keep her expression blank as she waited for Piper to elaborate.

"And I wanted her to. And I liked it; I like her," Piper said, color rising to her cheeks. Polly was the first person she had admitted her feelings for Alex to. It felt good to say it aloud.

"So, wait, are you a lesbian now?" Polly asked sounding interested, yet also confused. Piper thought it was a pretty good reaction, all things considered.

"Ughhh," Piper groaned. "I don't know, Polly; I haven't really given it a whole lot of thought. I've been too busy trying to decipher what's going on in Alex's head."

"What do you mean? You don't think she likes you back?" Polly asked. At Piper's confused shrug, Polly said, "Piper, she totally does! She kissed you and then she showed up to our cross country meet. I don't think Alex Vause has ever come to a school sporting event in her life. She was trying to court you."

Piper laughed, "Court me?! What are we, in the 1800s or something?"

Polly smiled and rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean, Piper. She was trying to show you she's interested in you. Why else would she come to the meet?"

"I don't know. To support her friend maybe? It could honestly be anything, Polly. And I can't help but feel like she's been avoiding me lately. It's been a week since we kissed and we haven't had the chance to talk about it! Maybe she just wants to pretend it never happened." Piper seemed hopeless. Polly hated to see her best friend upset, and she would be livid if Alex was playing games with her.

"You need to force her to talk. The worst that can happen is she says she regrets it, and you move on. At least you'll know where you stand, right?" Polly said returning to her nails.

"I'm gonna have dinner at the diner where she works tonight, so maybe we can talk a bit then." Piper said, feeling better at the prospect of hashing everything out. She was beginning to think that uncertainty is one of the worst feelings a person could experience, right behind jealousy.

"I think that's a good idea. Honestly, Pipe, I don't think you have a reason to worry. She likes you." Polly said reassuringly, and Piper was starting to believe her. "You know, Homecoming is next weekend. We should go dress shopping tomorrow!"

:||:

Alex looked up from behind the counter as the chime above the door to the diner rang, indicating a new customer had arrived. Alex hated to admit that she had been watching the door all day in hopes of an appearance from a certain cute blonde.

Her wish was granted, and in walked Piper, looking gorgeous as always. She was wearing a flowy white summer top with light-washed cuffed jean capris. Her shoulder-length hair was done in light, beachy waves with the front bobby pinned back to keep it out of her face.

Piper searched for her face in the crowd, and when she found it, made her way over to the counter. She smiled shyly at Alex and said from behind long lashes, "Hey."

Alex stared dumbly at her. She had never in life wanted so badly to grab someone and kiss them senseless.

Piper waved her hand in front of Alex's face, breaking her stare. Piper smirked knowingly. After a week of uncertainty, being in Alex's presence erased all of Piper's doubts. The look Alex was giving her was not a look given to someone you only feel platonically toward. Piper felt a pleased blush begin to creep into her cheeks. She wished the two of them could be alone to pick up where they had left off a week ago.

She forced those thoughts out of her head as Alex asked, "You wanna sit? Are you planning to order food?"

Piper nodded and laughed, "Yes and yes."

Alex smiled at the melodic sound of Piper's laugh. She hesitated only a brief moment before taking Piper's hand and leading her to a booth in the corner of the restaurant. She knew her mom was right, and that Piper needed time to figure things out on her own, but that didn't mean Alex couldn't attempt to convince her that being with Alex was worth the risks.

"What do you want?" Alex asked, letting go of Piper's hand and pulling out her notepad. Piper scooted into the booth.

"Cheeseburger and fries?" She asked a little unsure about what was good here.

Alex nodded and said, "Good choice." She began to walk away, but turned back when Piper called for her.

"Can you eat with me? Do you get a dinner break soon?"

"Maybe," Alex replied with a smile, happy with Piper's request. "Let me ask around."

Alex was able to take her dinner break with Piper, and the two girls ate cheeseburgers and shared a large plate of fries. They joked and laughed and told each other about their weeks, and when Piper tried to give Alex money to pay for her food, the older girl shook her head and said with a smile, "I got it."

As Piper drove home she couldn't wipe the smile from her face, or ignore the little voice in her head that told her she had just had a date with Alex Vause.

:||:

When Piper arrived at school on Monday, the halls were filled with an excited chatter, different from usual. A huge banner hung across the entrance to the cafeteria advertising the Homecoming football game and dance that would take place the coming weekend. Polly had talked Piper into going dress shopping the previous day and Piper was completely enamored with the dress she had found. It was a very light blue with jewels sewn into the bodice. The bodice was form fitting, but the dress flared out at the waist and ended mid-thigh. Piper couldn't wait to see the look on Alex's face when she saw her in it.

Piper looked for Alex at lunch, but she was nowhere to be seen. She sat down in an empty seat beside Polly and joined in on the conversation the table was having about Homecoming.

"The Homecoming game is against Park Slope High. We don't stand a chance." John Bennett, one of the best players on the team, was saying.

Jessica took a seat next to him and gave Piper a pointed look. She said, "Well, if Mendez was still on the team things would be different. We would definitely win. Thanks again for that, Piper."

Piper just looked down at her plate. When dealing with Jessica it was better not to fight back.

Turns out, she didn't have to say anything. Polly rolled her eyes dramatically and said, "Shut up, Jess. The whole Mendez thing was forever ago; get over it." Piper smiled thankfully at her friend. "More importantly, who's running for Homecoming Court?"

Jessica huffed at Polly's dismissal of her and said, "Well, I'm obviously going for Queen."

Piper gave Polly a look. At least Jessica would be graduating this year and they wouldn't have to deal with her ever again after that.

As Polly and Piper walked to their lockers after lunch, Polly stopped Piper suddenly with a wicked gleam in her eyes. "I just had a brilliant idea!" Piper raised her eyebrows in question. " _You_ should run against Jessica for Homecoming Queen! It'll be amazing! Just think of the look on her face when she loses to you!"

Piper laughed, "Good plan, Polly. You're just forgetting one thing. I'm only a Sophomore and Seniors always win Queen."

"But it's not a rule or anything," Polly insisted. "Think about it. You're friends with Larry, so he can get you all the band votes, and maybe even some of the other geeky groups. Alex could probably convince her crowd to vote for you; I mean, if any of them even show up to the dance. And you'll at least get half of the votes from the popular group. Jessica only really has the cheerleaders and football team. And I'm sure if given the choice between you and Jessica, most everyone else would vote for you, because Jessica is a mega bitch."

Piper realized Polly actually made a good point. She might be able to pull this off. "It would be such a great way to get back at her. She'd be so pissed not to win, and to lose to _me_ of all people! Polly, you _are_ a genius!"

Polly just smirked and said, "I've tried to tell you this a thousand times, Pipe, but you never listen."

:||:

The next day, Piper announced her run for Homecoming Queen, and she and Polly set out to begin campaigning for votes. Jessica was refusing to speak to either of them, instead shooting daggers with her eyes every time she saw Piper in the hallway. It did nothing to intimidate Piper; in fact, she was on cloud nine. After talking to a lot of her peers, it seemed like she might actually have a shot at winning the crown.

After fourth period, Piper rushed out of the classroom in a hurry to get to lunch and touch base with Polly.

"Piper, wait up!" She heard her name being called behind her, so she slowed down to let Larry catch up.

"Hi, Larry. What's up?" Piper said with a slightly forced smile.

Larry took a moment to catch his breath while Piper tapped her foot impatiently. Finally, he said, "I wanted to ask you something."

"Okay," Piper said, drawing out the word and looking at him expectantly.

Larry got shy all of a sudden, and it dawned on Piper exactly what Larry wanted to ask her. _Shit. Shit. Shit._ In her head she was freaking out, but she managed to remain calm on the outside.

"Will you go to Homecoming with me?" He rushed out, looking at Piper with big, hopeful puppy-dog eyes.

Piper liked Larry, but only as a friend. She supposed she hadn't done a good job of making that clear to him, though.

"Uhhh. Can I think about it, Larry?" Piper tried to be as gentle as possible. It obviously wasn't the response Larry had been hoping for. He looked crestfallen.

But, of course, Larry was so sweet and kind, he'd never make Piper feel bad about it. "Of course. Take your time. I'll see you in class tomorrow."

Piper waved goodbye, feeling pretty bad about herself. She didn't want to answer Larry until she talked with Alex. She was hoping the dark haired girl would want them to go together.

Alex wasn't at lunch again, and Piper was desperate to see her. She remembered that day weeks ago when Alex had barged in on her in the bathroom to smoke, and wondered if perhaps that's where Alex had been spending her lunch.

She caught up with Polly on campaign progress while she scarfed down a sandwich. Then, she hurriedly made her way to the bathroom to search for Alex.

She opened the door slowly, peaking her head around the opening. Sure enough, there was Alex looking like a deer-in-headlights, hand hidden behind her back. Her relief was immediate as she recognized the intruder to be Piper, and she produced the half-smoked cigarette from behind her back.

"Geez, Pipes, you about gave me a heart attack." Contrary to her words, Alex looked completely cool and collected. She took a drag on the cigarette.

"Sorry!" Piper's smile was unapologetic and she pushed further into the room.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Alex asked as she beckoned Piper closer. She offered the blonde the cigarette, and laughed when Piper made a face and shook her head vehemently.

"I wanted to talk to you about Homecoming. The dance is on Saturday." Piper said, bouncing nervously on the balls of her feet.

Alex husked out a laugh, "You know, I heard a funny rumor about that today."

"What?" Piper asked intrigued.

"I overheard someone saying that _you_ are running for Homecoming Queen!" Alex chuckled as she took another drag on the cigarette, making sure to exhale out the open window.

Piper's cheeks turned crimson and she averted her eyes to the ground. She fidgeted uncomfortably with her hands.

"Shut the fuck up!" Alex said with a loud laugh, Piper's embarrassment confirming the rumor.

Piper felt the need to defend herself. "It was Polly's idea! We thought that if I won against Jessica, it would be the perfect payback for everything she did to me."

Alex thought on it for a minute and said, "If you win, the look on her face will be priceless. Is that what you wanted to talk about? You wanted to ask for my vote?" Alex continued on without pausing to give Piper a chance to answer, "You can have it if you want it, but it'll cost you." She punctuated the statement with a suggestive smirk and wink.

Piper's stomach flipped as heat flushed her cheeks. She was suddenly painfully aware of their close proximity and the emptiness of the bathroom. She took a step back, away from Alex, and a deep breath to regain her wits.

"No," She stuttered out, and Alex raised an eyebrow at how flustered Piper suddenly was. "Well, I mean, yes, I want your vote, but that's not why I wanted to talk to you. Larry asked me to the dance, and well I wanted to talk to you before I gave him a definite answer," Piper was rambling, but she noticed how Alex's playful, amused expression had been replaced by an indifferent mask when Piper had mentioned Larry. "And, well, are you going? To the dance?" She finished awkwardly. _Wow, Piper, seriously? What the fuck was that?_ She still managed to look somewhat composed (or so she thought) as she looked at Alex expectantly.

"No," Alex said simply, curtly.

"Oh," Piper said, obviously disappointed. She stood there uneasily for a moment as Alex ignored her, continuing to smoke out the window. "Well, I guess I better get back to lunch." Piper didn't know what had caused Alex's sudden shift in mood, but the atmosphere in the bathroom was becoming unbearable and Piper needed to get out.

As she slipped through the door, she heard Alex mutter bitterly, "Have fun with _Jerry_."

:||:

After hours of having her hair and makeup done, getting dressed, and having pictures taken at Polly's house, Piper finally arrived to the Homecoming dance. The student council had done a really nice job with decorations, Piper noted as she entered the gymnasium along with Polly, Pete, and few more of their friends.

Immediately upon entering, a long red carpet stretched from the doorway into the gym. A huge star shaped archway made entirely of balloons stretched across the carpet. The lighting was already dim, but the dance floor was illuminated by bright white and gold lights strung up above it. It was still early, so the dance floor was mostly empty. Piper knew that soon the DJ would play a song like the electric slide to coerce students into dancing. For some reason, everyone always seemed shy to get things started at dances.

"Piper! Let's go do the photo booth before it gets super crowded!" Polly shouted above the music, grabbing Piper's hand and dragging her along.

Piper posed with Polly for a few different rounds in the photo booth; occasionally they were joined by a few of their other friends and Pete. Piper enjoyed making funny faces when it was just Polly and herself, and smiling prettily with the larger groups. Piper was happy Polly had suggested they do the photo booth early, because Piper had to admit they looked good in the pictures. She knew that later she'd be more of a mess due to hours of dancing and drinking spiked punch.

Just as she had predicted, soon after they arrived, the DJ played the electric slide. Polly squealed and pulled Piper out onto the dance floor. It seemed that everyone had the same idea and soon the dance floor was filled with students all doing the same choreography to the well-known, popular dance.

Piper and Polly danced side-by-side; and Piper was thankful that even though Polly had come with Pete, she wasn't ditching Piper for him.

Piper wasn't exactly a good dancer, but she had rhythm. She could keep up, and even though sometimes her movements were goofy or awkward, she stayed on beat with them. Piper was having a lot of fun as she danced with her friends to song after song. Eventually a slow song came on, though, and Pete pulled Polly to him. Polly looked over her shoulder giving Piper a somewhat apologetic smile, then turned and pressed close to Pete.

Piper began to walk off the dance floor, but was stopped by a gentle hand grabbing hers. She turned to find Larry smiling timidly at her. "Wanna dance?"

Piper smiled, happy she wouldn't have to be a wallflower. "Sure!"

She danced with Larry and it was nice. He was respectful of her personal space and kept distance between their bodies. Piper smiled at him and realized she was having fun. She wished Alex would have wanted to come with her, but school functions didn't really seem like Alex's thing. She wondered if the dark haired girl even danced.

Still, she wished she was pressed up against Alex, swaying slowly to the beat. Alex's arms would be wrapped around Piper's waist and Piper would link her fingers behind Alex's neck. Maybe Alex would lean down and kiss her sweetly on the lips, brushing a loose curl behind her ear as their lips met.

During the fast dances, Piper danced in a group with her friends. During the slow dances, she danced with Larry and allowed herself to fantasize about dancing with Alex. The only break they took from dancing was during the announcement and crowning of the Homecoming court. Immediately after that, everyone was back to showing off their moves.

The dance was only half-way over when Piper and Polly finally left the dance floor to rehydrate with some punch.

They stood at the punch bowl gushing over how much fun they were having and how sweet Pete was being to Polly, and even how nice Larry was being to Piper, when Polly's eyes widened and her brow furrowed at something behind Piper's back.

"I thought you said Alex wasn't coming tonight?" Polly asked confused.

"Alex is here?!" Piper felt a jolt of excitement shoot through her.

She began to turn around at the same time Polly's face fell and she tried to stop her. "Wait, Piper."

But it was too late. There was Alex, looking drop dead gorgeous in a tight, low-cut black dress, her hair draped over her shoulder in perfect, loose curls. Piper's stomach flipped at the sight of her. Piper made to take a step in the dark haired girl's direction, but halted immediately as Sylvia Porter emerged from behind her, hand in hand with the girl Piper hadn't been able to stop thinking about for the past month.

:||:

Alex stood against a wall on the far side of the gymnasium surveying the crowds of students dancing. She wasn't much of a dancer, but she figured Piper was. She hadn't seen the blonde yet, even though she had arrived thirty minutes ago and had been scanning the dance floor for her for at least half that time.

Sylvia had begged her to dance, but when Alex refused she had gone off to find her friends. Alex hadn't really wanted to come with Sylvia, but she had asked and Alex felt that she should at least give the girl a chance.

Alex's heart just wasn't in it, though. Not after experiencing what it was like to kiss Piper.

"Vause, you fucked up. Big time." Nicky was suddenly in front of her, shaking her head emphatically.

"What are you talking about?" Alex asked, sort of dismissively. Nicky was blocking her view of the dance floor and she was still hoping to locate Piper.

"You won't find her out there," Nicky said, catching onto what Alex was doing.

Alex finally settled her gaze on Nicky's face, looking at her expectantly.

"Your girl's in the bathroom crying all over that Holly chick, because you came to the dance with fucking Sylvie and not her."

"What?" Alex was shocked. "She said that?"

Nicky nodded. "I was in a bathroom stall smoking the joint I smuggled in, when I heard them burst in. Chapman does not sound like a pretty crier, by the way. She was going on and on about how much she likes you and how she tried to ask you to the dance, but that you must only think of her as a friend, yadda, yadda, yadda." Nicky paused for a breath, examining her friend's face. Her own face became serious as she said, "She was really upset, man. You need to do some damage control."

"Shit." Alex said, pushing past Nicky to head toward the bathroom.

Alex stood outside the door to the girls' bathroom, trying to get her emotions in check. She couldn't believe that Piper actually liked her back. And like a jackass, Alex had ruined it. Thinking back on everything; Piper's constant seeking of her company, the disappointed look on her face when Alex had told her she wouldn't be attending the dance, the way Piper looked at her as they ate together at the diner, Alex should have known. She should have picked up on the signs Piper had been so obviously throwing out there, but she had let the fear of rejection keep her from seeing what should have been so clear.

She had just worked up the nerve to go in, when the door abruptly swung open and a figure narrowly missed crashing into her.

Polly looked up at Alex's face, and Alex watched as anger quickly replaced the surprise in Polly's eyes as she recognized who she had nearly crashed into.

"Is Piper in there?" Alex asked, a touch of concern and hope in her voice.

Polly shook her head as her eyes narrowed. "Fuck you, Alex."

She began to march away, but Alex grabbed her arm pulling her forcefully back. "Look, I made a mistake, okay?" She said a bit gruffly, but then softer, "Please tell me where she is so I can fix this."

Polly gave in and said, "She went outside to get some air. Now, can you please let go of me?"

Alex released her, heading for the door of the gymnasium.

:||:

Alex surged through the door, her head first turning to the left and then to the right, searching. It didn't take long. There was Piper, leaning with her back against the brick wall not five feet from Alex. Green eyes met glistening blue, and Alex thought her heart stopped at the sight of her. The blue of Piper's dress only magnified the blue of her eyes, and with blonde curls mussed and askew, cheeks pink with a light flush, Piper was stunning. The picture of a beautiful mess.

Alex took a hesitant step toward her, as Piper sniffled.

The blonde held up her hand, and for a moment Alex was worried she'd tell her to go away, but then she realized Piper held something in it. A crown.

"I won," She said sadly, ironic. She knew that in reality, she had lost. She had lost Alex to Sylvia.

Alex continued to walk toward her until she was directly in front of her, in her space. Piper's eyes widened a bit in surprise at Alex's proximity.

"Alex." Piper whispered, and it sounded so tired and hopeless. Like she had given up.

A tear slipped down her cheek, and Alex softly wiped it away. Her fingers remained on Piper's cheek and she caressed the soft skin there. Piper's eyes fluttered closed, and Alex took the opportunity to gently tilt her chin up and bring their lips together.

Alex didn't know what to say to make things right, but if she could show Piper how she felt, maybe that would be enough.

Piper froze at the contact, but Alex was persistent. She moved her lips gently against Piper's until she felt the blonde girl begin to warily respond to Alex's ministrations. Alex let her hand slide into Piper's curls where she cupped the back of her head, gently keeping their mouths pressed together. She deepened the kiss, slipping her tongue between Piper's lips, as her other hand pressed against Piper's waist. A promise that she was there and wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Piper sighed into the kiss as her tongue met Alex's. Her own hands lightly caressing Alex's cheek and collarbone. Alex kept the kiss gentle and loving as she attempted to pour all the emotions she was feeling into it. _I'm sorry; I made a mistake; I want you and nobody else; you're perfect for me._

Alex gently broke the kiss, but kept her forehead pressed against Piper's. Her slightly haggard breaths tickled Piper's lips and she shuddered at the sensation.

Piper's eyes opened and Alex's eyes searched them. She could see confusion in them, but also happiness and hope.

Alex sighed and ran her hands up and down Piper's sides. Piper shivered as Alex said in a husky voice, "I'm an idiot."

"You're just now realizing that?" Piper asked with a grin, and just like that everything felt normal again. She pressed her lips to Alex's in a short, chaste kiss, just because she could and it felt so good to be able to do it. "Does this mean I'm your girlfriend?"

"Do you wanna be?" Alex rasped out with a smirk, but her voice sounded bashful. Alex tugged at an errant blonde curl.

Piper smiled shyly, but nodded assuredly.

Alex took the crown from Piper's hand and settled it atop her messy curls. She took a step back from Piper, and Piper almost whined at the loss of contact. Alex smiled at her mischievously and tugged at her hand.

"Where are we going?" Piper asked, pressing close to Alex's side.

Alex gave her a look. "Back to the dance, stupid," she said with a chuckle, bumping her shoulder lightly against Piper's, so she'd know she was just teasing. "The queen can't miss out on her own dance, now can she? Come on, let's go shove this crown in Jessica Wedge's face."

The End.

 **A/N: Well, that's it! This fic was so much fun to write, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed thinking it up and writing it! I already have some ideas brewing for some new stories and am excited to get started on those!**

 **I want to say one final thank you to everyone who read, followed, and favorited this story; and a special thanks to those of you who took the time to review! You all rock! You have no idea how happy it makes me when the email notification on my phone alerts me to a new review. I love hearing what you guys have to say about this story!**

 **Please don't forget to leave a review for this chapter!**

 **Peace,**

 **Helena's Mangos**


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